The Strange Rebirth of a Diamond
by Revan4646
Summary: So apparently I died back in our world, that sucks. What sucked even more was being reborn as a dead intergalactic dictator in my favourite kids show. But I suppose I'll get use to things around here, being a Gem shouldn't be that hard right?
1. Chapter 1

**The Strange Rebirth of a Diamond**

**Chapter** 1 Re-Location

My vision pulsed with vibrant colour as I floated through the void around me, I could have been here for days or weeks now or so I assumed. I couldn't look down at my hands as I believe it was only my conciousness persisting in the void.

I had died.

Despite all the messy feelings involved with the initial event I found myself growing numb to it, in my memory it felt more like a broken bone would have. It's happened and now I've learned to constantly check a fire alarm. The last thing I remember of my life was waking up to the house on fire and smoke everywhere, running around trying to find people and then passing out due to smoke inhalation.

It wasn't exactly the most fun thing, and once I realised what had happened I was confused, acceptably if I remember religion right. Unless I was in limbo something strange had happened. All descriptions of the afterlife were different from this. I spent the first day or two trying to figure it out and then the rest of perceptible time mulling over what had happened. As perceptible as time was here anyway.

'Bloody lonely.' I thought to myself, watching the colours around me react to the thought. 'What even am I at the moment? A Soul? Some sort of collection of memories?'

A change.

The pattern of colours fluctuated between solid colours now instead of the wash of psychedelia it was before. White Yellow Blue Pink Green Orange Purple Cream Red Pink again, then White and Blue again.

'Huh, kind of reminds me of Steven Universe.' I thought to myself as the colours continued to flicker between each other. 'I suppose I'll never get to see what happens with older Steven than, I could always make it up as I go along. Shame we never got to see more of Pink Diamonds back story.'

Pink flashed again, more vivid and longer than before, taking my thoughts for a moment before the colours began flickering between each other again.

'Odd, nothing's effected my surroundings before.' I thought to myself as the cycle continued unabated. 'Pink?' I waited for a few moments as the colours cycled, but nothing stood out.

'Pink Diamond.'

The colour immediately changed to pink and flashed as vividly as before, only lingering a second more before the cycle continued unabated.

'It reacts to names?' I thought to myself, contemplating on whether I should continue. 'Hell Nothings happened for a while, and you know what they say about curiosity and humans.'

'Pink Diamond.' Pink flashed in front of me.

'Pink Diamond.' The Pink kept it's same hue but seemed to grow brighter as the thought persisted.

'Am I really doing this just to find out what's going to happen?' The glow lessened as I lost focus, in my panic I thought as hard as I could of Pink Diamond, her form and response the glow of colour around me intensified, I could almost feel a hum from just the colour alone. It was at that point I blacked out again.

I felt strange, like I was constrained, but not. Naturally I pushed out and the odd feeling of my body warping around me replaced the constrained feeling. Sight returned to me and I opened my eyes, I immediately fell to the ground on my butt, though I still didn't feel much of anything. Not as much as I'd expect too anyway. My eyes widened as I remembered the floating, and then the life before that. It was hard to recall though, as if my mind was having to fight against something to remember myself. Another presence was in myself, but as I thought of more memories of myself it seemed to slowly disappear before leaving entirely as if it was never there.

"Okay, that was fucked up." I said out loud, at the sound of my voice though I stunned myself and brought my hands to my mouth. "I-I sound- am I a girl?!"

Looking down at myself confused me even further, as I could see only a raised chest, but with flat surfaces Pink in colour.

"Nope. No thank you, oh please for the love of god..." As I brought my hands up into vision for inspection I saw the pink gloved hands of Pink Diamond, and further bending down added to my worries as I saw the Gem itself. MY Gem.

'MY GEM.' I thought to myself as a hand slowly drifted towards it. "HOW IN ALL THAT IS HOLY DID THIS HAPPEN?!" I yelled to myself, causing the trees nearby to crack at the power of my voice. The ground beneath me cleared of grass as the dirt unsettled from the simple power of action as well.

"Okay, okay. Gotta calm down." I said to myself, although I was having trouble with it.

I slowly stood up, carefully getting my balance before looking around me. I was surrounded by trees and other plants, one of the cracked trees around me fell down, making me jump a bit. I looked up and flinched back away from the canopy of leaves and branches. Instinctively I shrunk down to a size I was comfortable with before realising what I just did.

"Holy shit that's cool." I said to myself as I looked around, everything now at a much more manageable height, even if I was still taller than I normally was. "I'll definitely have to play with that later."

'As for now...' I thought to myself, looking around before picking a direction to walk in.

'This feels like one of those fan fictions I use to read back... on earth? Is this still earth?' I thought to myself. 'It feels like earth but I'm a Gem, surely this wouldn't be MY earth?'

Another clearing in the forest opened up before me, only this time I could see a visible trail through the bushes and trees, one obviously used by humans if the chip packet was anything to go by.

"Wait a minute." I whispered to myself as I bent and inspected the- "Well shit, Chaaaaaaps. This is definitely not my Earth."

I gave a shaky sigh and sat down against a tree, my weight shaking the leaves and branches on it a bit. As I leant my head back I felt the bark get caught on my now pink fluffy hair, but couldn't care less, in fact I snuggled closer into what was now my own hair due to it's comfort.

"Uuuuugh, why me?" My now higher pitched voice said, muffled from the hair it was coming from. "What's so special about me?"

I brought my legs into my chest and rested my cheek on them and closed my eyes. At that moment I silently wished that this was all some dream and I'd wake up surrounded by colours again, but when my eyes opened all I saw were plants and a good bit of my new hair. I closed my eyes and simply sat there, for how long I don't remember. But after a while I released a sigh and stood up, and started walking down the trail. At this point in the day there was orange light from the sunset flittering through the bushes ahead of me, there was a feeling in the back of my heart as the colour itself reminded me of the flames in my life before, but I continued walking determined to at least GET somewhere.

The Sun had set by the time I could see and end to the forest, with lights in the distance telling me that I was close to a town of some kind, I couldn't really recognise it though. But given what's currently going on I was assuming that this was probably either Beach City or somewhere close to a warp pad. I emerged from the forest out the back of someone's house, and walked around to the road and stood on the side-walk. I felt a good amount of relief being back in civilisation, the sigh I gave visibly representing that. I took a right and saw the beach behind a few buildings, the closest one being at the end of the road.

Once I got to the Visitors Center I knew I was in Beach City, mainly because of the sign hung above the entrance. What I appreciated the most though was the glass windows which gave me the first look at myself.

I was definitely Pink Diamond, if a bit smaller, although I was still pretty tall. My reflection being cut off just above my head, not giving my a view of all my poofy hair. My hands slowly wandered to different parts of my body, to the pink tutu around my hips 'Or where they'd be' to the arm poofs along my shoulders, which crumpled under my touch before expanding back to their original size once I let them go.

"Hey, are you okay?" I heard from behind me. I turned around with a start which made them take a few startled steps back, Them turning out to be Sour Cream's mom.

"I-I don't think so, I'm a bit lost and confused to be honest." I replied, forcing a smile.

"Are you another one of those Crystal Gems that Amethyst hangs out with?" She asked, giving me a look up and down.

"Maybe? I don't exactly know. But there's other Gem's?" I asked, not really having to try that hard to pretend to be out of it.

"They usually keep to themselves but yeah, they're shacked up at the end of the Beach under that huge statue." She replied, shuffling the groceries in her hand to point the hill and beach out to me. "I'm sure they'll be able to help you."

"Thanks. I'll head there in a bit after I have a look around, I think." I answered honestly with a smile.

"Okay, have a good night." She replied with a shrug, walking off towards wherever she lived.

"Huh, wonder where 'I'm' going to live now?" I thought to myself as I looked back to my reflection. "Better question, who would let me live near them? I look so...Gemmy."

My hands wandered over my body again as I examined myself before the answer struck me, shape-shifting!

Looking around to see whether anyone was looking at me I then returned to my focus and thought of what I wanted to look like, just a simple shirt and some jeans would do for now. I focused on that and changing into what I needed to and eventually that feeling of reforming from before returned and once it was over I opened my eyes and wooped in delight at seeing myself.

It wasn't perfect, but it was closer to being somewhat normal. Both the jeans and the shirts were different shades of Pink but I was fine with that, although the red combat boots were a nice touch that I hadn't thought of. In fact once I saw them it threw off my celebrating a bit as I thought about that.

'Wait, I didn't think of those specifically.' I pondered as I looked at them, admiring how they looked. In fact they reminded me of the pair I'd had in my previous life. Another look told me that there was a symbol of a Diamond on my shirt, which miffed me a bit but I rolled my eyes and went with it anyway.

"I wonder what I call myself?" I said to myself, the expression on my face in the mirror becoming one of deep thought. "I'm not Pink Diamond, but... I also am? Huh, I wonder if this is how Steven feels" After saying that I took a look around before walking through an alleyway between the buildings and emerging onto the board walk, the fryshop and fish stew pizza visible ahead.

I continued walking out into the sand and sat at the beach, watching the waves, letting them calm me. The sound of the water washing the sand with each wave was one of the few relaxing things I could enjoy right now, and a small smile grew on my face as I took in the sound and laid back into the sand. A sigh escaped my mouth once again as I sunk back into thought.

'I'm pretty much screwed I think.' A sad smile reached my lips. 'I look like Pink-I AM Pink Diamond, at least how everyone will recognise me. And that's not going to go down well.'

I turned in the sand to the left and looked at the grassy hill at the end of the beach, the top of a lighthouse visible from the top and the arms and hands of the statue of the fusion Obsidian stretching out from the sides.

'Pearls going to flip her shit. That much I can expect if I meet up with the Crystal Gem's.' I thought to myself as I rolled back onto my back. 'I have no idea what Garnet's going to do, depending on what time I've been dropped into her last interaction with a Diamond didn't go so well. Actually come to think of it none of her interactions with the Diamonds have gone so well.'

As I thought of it more a revelation struck me, I sat up and had a look around to check for the Gems but laid but down when I realised they weren't there. Garnet had Future Vision. It seemed I was going to run into the Gem's eventually, or not.

'Would Garnet even tell them about me?' I pondered, shifting a little in the sand. 'She seemed pretty terrified of Blue Diamond when she was on Earth, Will she do the same for me? I suppose even then it wouldn't last forever, Steven or Pearl would get the information out of her. Would she even think of my existence as a likely possibility?'

"Uuugh, I'm so screwed." I said to myself in lament, staring up at the starry sky above. The clouds formed clearly overhead and the stars were still perfectly visible despite the lights of the town behind me.

A/N

Well, this is my first entry here for years. Been so long my first account was lost in the waves of time.

Still, very much investing in this story, a few more chapters have already been written and are on the way. So Stay tuned Folks! ;P


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 First Contact

The sun rose slowly over the Horizon as the night turned back into day, As it did I shifted slightly in the sand again as the sunlight started getting in my eyes. I'd been fretting over my situation all night, but had slowly accepted that what was going to happen was going to happen. I knew I'd run into the Crystal Gems eventually, and had accepted that.

But I wasn't stupid.

Knowing their track record off by heart they'd be hostile, especially if Steven wasn't there to settle things down. And while I was in essence Pink Diamond I still had no idea how any of her powers worked, even if knew what they were they'd be useless until I knew how to use them. Would they even be the same powers? That was an assumption and a hope at best. But still, I wasn't going to get anywhere sitting in the sand.

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**" I heard a voice yell out from further down the Beach. Before I knew what I was doing I was on my feet running towards the noise, once I realised what I was doing though I stopped myself and shook off whatever had gotten over me.

Still, I was curious as to who that was. And so I found myself standing outside the Big Donut, catching a glimpse inside before ducking around the side of the building once I saw STEVEN in there. I caught myself hyperventilating and took a calming breath before edging further away from the windows at the front, hoping none of them had seen me.

"Huh, wonder where that pink girl went?" I heard Steven say from out the front. I scooched even further until I was behind the building just to make sure he wouldn't see me even if he looked. "She looked like she was scared of something."

"Probably just scared away by how manly I look." I overheard Lars reply, I could hear his voice dripping with cockiness.

"Yeah, anyway thanks for the freezer guys!" I heard Steven say, followed by the sound of sandals plapping on concrete then shifting onto the sand.

'That was close.' I thought to myself as I walked away from the Big Donut following the road in front of the mountain. 'I really need to think about where I'm going.'

"Hey, are you okay? You seem a bit lost." I heard from my right. I turned around and found Greg sitting in the back of his van tuning his guitar, a bucket of soapy water nearby. "Also have we met before? You seem familiar."

"Nope, definitely haven't met before." I replied, awkwardly smiling. My mind couldn't help but slowly turn to an image of another Pink person he knew though. "I'm uh, kind of new to town. So I'm just, making my way around. You know, getting to know the place."

"Cool, well if you ever need a car washed feel free to drop by." Greg replied, flashing me a smile before giving his guitar a test strum. "Name's Universe by the way, Greg Universe."

"Oh, I'm uhhhh Pink." I replied, my mind going crazy as I realised that little slip up had pretty much just settled my name.

"Yeah, I noticed." Greg replied with a smile, before a slight bit of worry found its way to his face. "Are you sure you don't need any help? You seem a bit worried about something."

"Am I that easy to read?" I asked, a nervous smile on my face.

"Like a classical album cover, now come on, tell me what's wrong. Don't worry you can trust me." Greg stated, a warm smile on his face.

"I...am very lost." I replied, my smile straining. "Can we talk about it in private? I-It's embarassing, and confusing. And I'm not even sure I understand what's really going on."

"Oh, uh okay." Greg said, looking from his van back to the wash. "We could head in there if that'll do for you?"

"Sure, thanks." I replied, not really believing that I was following Greg into the car wash. It was still surreal to think I was in Beach city of all places, once we were inside and all we could see were the wash controls on the other side of a plane of glass we stopped and sat down.

"So what's gotten you so frazzled?" Greg asked, I realised as we sat across from each other that I was a bit taller than him.

"I- I woke up last night in the woods. I couldn't remember anything, but I still knew a little bit about myself... I think." I started, capturing Greg's attention right away. "And I remember a few things I don't think I should, they're like someone else's memories branded into my mind. And the worst thing is they tell me I'll be safe here, but also that I'm not safe here. I'm confused, more than that I don't know what to do."

"Wow, that's some... well some pretty heavy stuff." Greg said, holding his head a bit while looking at me. "So, you just, woke up in the woods? But you have memories, memories of someone else?"

"That's what's weird, I-I think they were mine, at least someone who looked like me. But I'm not them, I think differently than they would and I don't think I'm reacting the same way." I said, trying to rationalise what I was going through into something he'd understand without letting any information that might be harmful slip. Hell it was a strain to try and get my current thoughts into something I'D understand. "I'm Pink, but I'm not at the same time. I'm someone new, argh, it's so confusing."

"Uh forgive me for asking but... are you a Gem? Most humans I know aren't that Pink." Greg asked, a bit apprehensively. "Most of them don't tend to have a rock lodged in their stomachs either."

"Oh, uh yeah I am." I replied, a little nervous. "I'm uh Pink, Pink Diamond. But, just call me Pink."

"Okay... Pink, man this is weird. Usually I try to stay out of all this Gem stuff." Greg stated, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I should probably go tell the other Gems, they'll probably be able to help you better than I can."

"NOOO!" I yelled in alarm as he stood up, the ground shook as I yelled and Greg fell over. "Oh god I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"I'm fine but what was that about?" Greg asked, confused and a bit apprehensive about me now if the expression on his face told me anything.

"I-I'm still trying to get use to my powers, They kind of go off by themselves if I get shocked or stuff." I replied, extending a hand to him. He took it cautiously and I lifted him back onto his feet. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"I'm fine, but do you... know the Gems?" He asked, and I got nervous again in response. "Pearl, Amethyst? Garnet?"

"The Crystal Gems? I think I remember them, I... I just don't know whether I'm ready to talk to them." I stated, confusion passing over Greg's face. "I know them, but I don't. And I don't think they'll like me. Apparently I was... on the other side of a war they were in... I think. Because I also remember fighting WITH them at some point, but also not. Ugh, it's so confusing."

"Okay yeah, I can see how you'd be a bit apprehensive about that." Greg stated, looking pensive for a moment. "Unfortunately I still can't really see anyone else who'd be better suited for helping you."

"Okay...Okay okay okay okay, I'll talk to them. But would you help me? I don't want them to...you know attack me or anything." I stated, the worry on my face probably evident. For good reason.

"Oh come on they wouldn't...Well maybe." Greg took a look at my worried expression and got a serious look on his face. "Come on, it's probably best if we get this out of the way now."

"N-Now?" I asked nervously, all the thoughts about what could go wrong playing over in my head. "But what if- but-Y-You're going to tell them about me anyway right?"

"It's better for you if they know, but I won't tell them if you don't want me too." He replied, a soft look on his features. "But I do think it would be better to talk to them now, don't you think they'd think worse of you if they knew you'd been hiding from them?"

"That's what I'm afraid they'll think. I think, something tells me that... Pearl would know? But why do I know Pearl?" I said, chalking it up a bit. This knowledge that I had would come in handy for posing as Pink Diamond while letting me remake myself at the same time, but god if the thought itself wasn't damned accurate. I was still trying to find out who I am now. Am I Pink Diamond? Well no, but yes.

"Only they would know." Greg said with a shrug. "Look we really should go see them now, you seem a bit out of it."

"I don't...Y-You're right. But could I maybe like hide behind you or something?"

"If it uh... makes you feel more comfortable, Sure I suppose." Greg said uncertainly.

"Great!" I changed my form to be small enough to hide behind him, which got a chuckle from Greg.

"Heh, okay then. Let's go talk to the Gems." He stated, walking out of the car wash.

I followed close behind, walking beside him at first, then as the Beach house came into view I put Greg between it and me, and followed him up the stairs. I tensed as he knocked on the screen door, but tried to push my nervousness and panic down. If I got too worked up I might accidentally hurt someone.

"Hello in there! Anyone home?" Greg yelled, opening the door and stepping in. He left the door open behind him and I hesitated for a few seconds before stepping in behind him

"DAD!" I heard Steven yell, running over to us. He jumped up into his fathers arms and I could now plainly see his face as he chuckled in delight.

"Hey there Stueball How've you been?"

"Dad, you wont believe it! My Gem was glowing and then I could feel like I was almost summoning my weapon-" At this point he realised I was behind his dad. "Oh Hi! You're that pink girl from in front of the Big Donut! My names Steven, pleased to meet you." He extended his little hand for a shake and I hesitantly took it before replying.

"Hi, my names Pink." I already knew tension was rising a bit as I started to talk, but I tried not to let Steven see how unnerved I was. "Pleased to meet you as well."

"Greg, a pleasure to see you again." I heard Pearl say, with a bit of irritation in her voice. "Who's that with the Pink hair behind you?"

My eyes went wide when I realised I hadn't done anything with my hair, which was huge and probably still sticking out from behind Greg.

"She's another Gem, like you guys." He answered for me, and I could feel the tension rise again. "She's just real shy is all, she's worried you're not going to like her."

"Another Gem? But-But that's not possible." Pearl stated, worry creeping a little into her voice now "Greg please move out of the way so we can see this so called 'Gem'."

"Help me." I whispered to Greg, stepping a bit back toward the door. I didn't like how this was going at all.

"It'll be fine." He said, turning around to me, and then side stepping so the Gems could see me full on.

"Oh cool, it really IS another Gem!" Amethyst said excitedly.

Pearls expression was worrying.

A/N

Still a few more chapters on the way, let me know whether you like them or not in the comments!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Strained Introductions

"Guess you were wrong about that one huh Pearl? Ha ha... uh Pearl?" Amethyst said, waving her arm in front of Pearl to get her attention.

"You look... Just like..."

"Wow, another Gem! That's so cool, are you here to move in with us?" Steven asked innocently from his Dad's shoulder, his dad then put him down. However Steven speaking seemed to break Pearl out of whatever stupor she was in, but she still couldn't help but just stare.

"It can't be you, you're gone." Pearl stated, expression still one of severe shock.

"Nope, I'm right here, mostly I think." I replied sheepishly, edging back towards Greg slowly. "Good to meet you, again? Or not?"

"Show us your Gem." Garnet simply stated, causing everyone but Pearl to look at her. Even Steven at this point seemed to clue in that something serious was happening.

"I-Okay." I replied with a slight blush I could feel on my cheeks, lifting up my Pink shirt which was covering my Gem. It was in the same place that the Diamond on my shirt was, but for some reason I felt a little better now that my Diamond was visible. Or had fresh air, I was still getting used to this.

"Pink Diamond? But-Rose shattered you." Garnet said, confusion on her features now. "How-"

"It really is you." Pearl finally said, she took a quick glance over to Steven and then down where his Gem would be before looking back at me. "How is this possible?"

"I don't know." I replied shyly, I didn't really know what else to say. As I really had no idea how anything was going on at the moment, I just knew that I would've preferred not to be here right now.

"You don't know?!" Pearl nearly yelled at me. "I-You-You should know!"

In response I cringed behind Greg. I knew this was going to happen, that's why I'd run from Steven at the start of the day.

"Why are you yelling at her, you're scaring her." Steven said, grabbing Pearls attention.

"For good reason, Greg. Get out of the way." Garnet said, summoning her Gem weapons over her fists. "Steven, back away from her."

"What! Why?"

"Garnet No!" Pearl said, stepping in front of her. "She's not our enemy!"

"Pearl, have you gone Crazy. That's Pink. Diamond." Garnet responded, more than a little frustration seeping into her voice. Although from the look of her she seemed a little torn at the decision herself, Anger still seemed to be her emotion of choice though.

"She may have been at one point, but I don't think she is now." Greg interrupted, getting everyone attention. Once everything went quiet he took a look at me before looking back to the Gems and saying "She told me that she just woke up today, in the forest just outside of town. I think she's got some sort of amnesia or something."

"That's...You're telling the truth." Garnet said, dispelling her gauntlets. "I'd seen this as a possibility today but, the odds of this ACTUALLY HAPPENING... I need to go and think about this." She walked off and I breathed a sigh of relief, but still stood behind Greg. As my face turned back to look at Pearl I noticed the warp pad in the temple activate.

"Am-Amnesia?" Pearl said, exasperated. She also seemed to grow incredibly tired. "But- Gems don't get Amnesia!"

"It's not exactly Amnesia." I stated, speaking for myself and grabbing Pearls full attention. "I think I remember some things from before I woke up." I said, looking Pearl in the eyes. Her glance moved to Steven once again before flittering back. "But it doesn't feel like it was 'Me' who made those decisions. I am Pink Diamond, but I'm also not. It's hard to explain but it's like there's fragments of a life I never knew imprinted into my mind and It's kind of who I am? But not, and... I-I need help figuring out who I am. Or who I am now, I know I'm Pink Diamond. But I don't think I would've ever started that war, or colonised this planet if I knew there was such beautiful and intelligent life here." I caught myself and my eyes went wide as I realised I'd meant every word of that. Was '_being_' Pink Diamond changing me?

"I- you..." Pearl sniffed a bit, tears in the corners of her eyes after my impromptu speech, as well as bringing me out of my thoughts. She composed herself for a moment and wiped away her tears. "I'll talk to Garnet, if you really have...changed, then I'm sure we can help you in some way."

"Thank you, Pearl." I said sincerely, a sad smile on my face.

"Of course my- I mean of course. Amethyst, please look after Steven while I'm gone" Pearl replied, looking conflicted as she stumbled over her words. She stood up and walked towards the warp pad, giving me another look before disappearing in a flash of light and leaving Amethyst, Greg, Steven and I standing the house alone.

"Okay so is anyone planning on telling me what that was about?" Amethyst asked jokingly, although by the look on her face she was a bit annoyed at being 'left out of the loop'. "I mean you can't ACTUALLY be Pink Diamond right? Rose shattered her during the rebellion before they found me."

"I... Yes? But please just call me Pink." I replied, a bit nervously. "This whole Diamond thing seems to be a bit... complicated, and I'd just prefer Pink right now."

"Okay, you got it 'Pink'." Amethyst replied with a shrug, she still seemed a bit off though. "This is real weird though. If you are Pink Diamond do you have any memories about being shattered?"

"I... Think so?" I replied, scratching the back of my head. I was still a bit unsure as to how all of this was going down, but was thankful that it went so peacefully. And to think, that was all thanks to- "Greg!"

"What? OOF!" I picked Greg up in a big hug as I thanked him over and over again. "It's fine but- AIR!"

"Oh! Right, sorry!" I said, setting him down carefully "I didn't break anything did I?"

"Nothing important I don't think." He answered, stretching his back and gaining a few pops for his trouble. "Although I think I've dealt with enough Gem stuff for today, are you guys going to be okay?"

"Uhhhh" I started.

"Yeah we'll be fine Greg, go home to your van or where ever you live. I'll make sure Pink is safe from the other guys."Amethyst stated, gesturing her thumb towards the warp pad. "She seems alright enough, maybe a bit confused. But I know how that can feel." She added, sparing me a friendly glance.

"Alright then, I'll see you guys later." Greg said, leaving the front door. But not before he turned around and pointed some finger pistols at Steven saying "Later Stueball."

"By Dad!" Steven said with a smile on his face, waving as his dad left.

"So... what now?" I asked, looking down at Amethyst and Steven. "Do we just... wait for them to come back?"

"Oh OH AMETHYST!" Steven yelled, grabbing her attention. "Show me how you summon you're weapon! That way I can learn how to summon mine!"

"Eh, okay but lets go get some donut's first." She replied, a smile on her face. "You wanna join us Pink?"

"Sure!" I answered with a quick nod in reply, still feeling a need to leave the Beach house. Who knew what mood Garnet would be in when she came back. "But won't Pearl and Garnet be worried?"

"Aaahh they'll be fine, it's not like it's the first time we've gone out for donuts spontaneously." Amethyst stated, already walking out the front door, Steven behind her. With a quick step I was behind them as well, looking back at the beach house.

"So do we have any money?" I asked on the way there, It seemed like it was going to be a short trip.

"Oh! I've still got the five that Pearl gave me so I could get a cookie cat!" Steven said excitedly, pulling it out and showing it off with a smile. "That should be enough for anything we want. Are you going to have one?"

"A cookie cat?" I replied.

"No no a donut! Or other applicable savoury treat!" Steven corrected, his eyes holding a curious glint. "Garnet and Pearl don't really eat anything, but Amethyst eats a lot! So I didn't know whether or not you were going to have one."

"I suppose I can try one." I stated, earning a big grin from Steven. Amethyst as well slowed down until she was next to me and gave me a pat on the shoulder while wearing a huge grin.

"Oh you're gonna love it! You gotta chew up everything using your mouth until it's like a sticky mush and then you swallow it!" She explained happily. "I think I'm gonna have a chocolate topped one today, really throw things off a bit."

"Yeah you're gonna love it!" Steven added.

"If you say so." I replied simply as we stopped in front of the building in question.

"Oh yeah! You still need to meet Lars and Sadie!" Steven exclaimed, I could swear there were stars in his eyes. Before I could say anything he'd grabbed my hand and we were running into the shop, we stopped just before the counter when Steven let go of my hand. "Sadie! Lars! You won't believe it! We found another Gem, and now she's going to live with us!"

"What?" I said simply as I registered the last part of Steven's sentence.

"Oh that's great Steven, it's good to see you're feeling better since this morning." Sadie replied, looking up at me with a smile on her face. I could tell by the look on her face that she'd probably dealt with Steven's sort of shenanigans before and just went with it. "So, what're you guys having."

"I'll have the regular thanks, and one chocolate and one Strawberry!" Steven stated, the smile on his face wide.

"Alright, two pink one chocolate coming up." Sadie replied with a small smile, ducking behind the counter.

While Amethyst looked in boredom around the shop I checked the sign above the counter and was actually startled at the amount of donut options they had, as well as the many different varieties of coffee and tea.

"Oh hey, you were that pink lady from outside." I heard Lars say as he entered the corner of my vision holding a box full of soda's from around the back corner in the shop. "Come back to gaze some more at my manlyness?" He added with a smirk, lifting the box up high.

"Nope." I replied after giving him a quick look over, given that I was a straight guy back in my own world this was weird and uncomfortable. "Not interested, sorry."

"Aww man..."

"And here's your order, enjoy!" Sadie stated, giving the bag to Steven before sending a worried sympathetic look towards Lars.

"Thanks Sadie!" Steven replied, running out the front door again with the donuts in hand.

Following him outside with Amethyst we stood next to the shop outside and Steven handed out the donuts, stuffing his own into his face quickly before wiping off the icing and licking it off, making a satisfied sound as he finished. He blushed a bit in embarrassment when he noticed I'd seen the urgency with which he ate.

"I didn't have breakfast this morning."

"Fair enough." I replied as I bit into my own donut and tasted the flavour. The flavour itself was a bit muted for whatever reason, maybe because my body was made of light instead of organic? Whatever the reason I noticed it was a bit stale but still smiled at the flavour and swallowed, giving Steven a thumbs up in approval.

"Yay! Someone else to eat with!" Steven exclaimed as he gave me a hug, hitting his head on my Diamond. "Ow!"

"Oh! Sorry, I'll sort that out." I stated, shape shifting a bit smaller still so his head reached my chest instead. Then he re-embraced the awkward hug and I gave him a few pats on the back to let him know I was done. I shape shifted back to a comfortable height afterwards, honestly this shape shifting was really convenient. I was surprised the other Gems didn't do it as often as Amethyst did.

"Oh yeah! Amethyst! You were going to show me your gem weapon!" Steven said, his eyes lighting up.

"Oh that? Ha ha, that's easy." Amethyst said, taking another munch out of her donut. "I just think about it and then I can pull it out." She added, swinging the whip as she pulled it out, cutting the dumpster behind the donut shop in half. "Yeah, I barely have to try."

"Oh man, I wish it was that easy for me." Steven stated, a pout on his face. "Wait Pink! Maybe you can show me YOUR Gem Weapon!" Steven said, hope renewing on his face.

"I...have never summoned my weapon? I don't know what it would be if it's anything at all." I replied, giving a bit of thought myself. "I'll give it a go though."

Copying Amethyst's example I thought about summoning my weapon and held my hand near my Gem, waiting for something to happen. While I did feel an inkling of something nothing really happened and so I went deeper into thought, wondering what a weapon was. Something to attack with, harm others but most importantly to protect. My Gem started glowing in response to the thought of protecting others and a shield made of simple geometric shapes coloured in pink appeared before my hand, following it around as I moved it in test.

"Oh cool! You got a shield!" Steven said, gushing at the weapon. He walked up to it, giving it a tap. The shield rang in song as the small sound reverberated away from the shield. "That's awesome! How'd you do it?"

"I think it's like a trigger or something." I stated, getting rid of the shield with a thought before summoning it again. Then de-spawning it. "Mine was thinking about protecting people."

"Oh! Maybe mine'll be something like wanting to fly, so I'll get a jet-pack!" Steven said, staring up at the sky with a wide smile.

"Sorry to burst your bubble little guy, but I doubt your weapon's going to be a jet-pack." Amethyst said, finishing her donut then licking her fingers.

"Why don't we head back to your house?" I suggested, getting a look from Amethyst. "Maybe Pearl will be back with Garnet and you can ask them."

"Sounds like a plan Stan!" Steven replied with a goofy grin, pointing some finger guns in my direction.

"Your jokes make me grieve Steve." I replied, with a slight grin to my face.

I'll save you from the exchange of puns and bad jokes as there were quite a lot said between the three of us on the way back across the beach to the temple. I smiled at the simplicity of this and was glad to have at least two proper friends since coming here, I needed to remind myself at some point to go thank Greg for that. We all were laughing when we came back in the front door, I'd finished my donut on the way back and felt a bit more comfortable now in the situation I'd found myself in.

"Oh You're back!" Pearl said excitedly, hands clasped as she looked Steven and I over. I found my anxiety had returned with these two, although this time I had it under a bit better control knowing that I'd at least have Steven on my side. "I found Garnet and convinced her to come back, but... Well we have some questions that we'd like you to answer."

"That's fair." I replied, getting a little nervous under Garnet's gaze. "I suppose we should sit down to discuss this."

"Yes, lets." Pearl replied, taking a seat on the couch under Steven's bedroom. Garnet followed slowly after and I sat opposite them, soon flanked on either side by Steven and Amethyst.

"Sooooo..." I started awkwardly, giving Pearl an awkward smile but glancing away from Garnet's stare. "What did you want to know?"

"Lets not draw this out any longer than it needs to be." Garnet stated, breaking her gaze from me and sweeping across Steven and Amethyst beside me. "What are your intentions for this Planet? And what do you know?"

"Well the first one's easy enough." I replied, glancing up towards Garnet. "I intend to live here, peacefully. No fighting or making any Gems, though I'll protect it and myself if I have too."

Garnet leaned closer to me. Maybe trying to discern whether I was telling the truth or not. In the end she leant back and gave nod. "A good answer, Pearl was right in suspecting that losing yourself might've made you a better Gem. On that topic, what do you remember that's important?"

Pearl seemed a bit nervous as I gave my answer. "That all depends on what you find important." I started. "Your important and mine might be different, so I'll start with what I think was important and then you can ask me some more questions after that. Alright?"

"Fair enough." Garnet replied, giving me a nod as the go ahead to start speaking.

"Well, I don't really remember too far back on Homeworld, although from what I do remember that might not be the best thing." I said, my mind wandering back to Blue and yellow talking about how they'd punish Pink by locking her in a tower for thousands of years. " I don't remember what exactly happened but for one reason or another I was given a new Pearl, apparently I'd broken the last one by accident."

I saw Pearl tense up at this, and frowned sadly before continuing. Garnet put her hand on Pearl's shoulder reassuringly. Thinking ahead of time I decided to omit Spinel from the story, as nothing could be done about that right now. Not to mention if I did it might be bringing a problem to Earth we couldn't solve right now.

"After that I kind of wound down a bit and tried to act more proper, I felt really guilty about my first Pearl." I stated, my mind thinking of the Pearl under White's control at the moment. "Eventually that led to me getting my own colony."

"Earth." Garnet stated, receiving a nod in reply.

I noticed Pearl give a worried glance to Steven as he sat listening to the story, enraptured. Amethyst was the same way, although didn't pay as well attention.

"Once I got the colony Blue helped me set up the first kindergarten, I was so excited to see all of the Gems being born that my Pearl and I snuck down there." I started, trying to stay honest while not giving information away. "It was fun to be amongst all the Quarts that were new to the Earth, but eventually I got bored and decided to go wandering. I... I can't really remember that well after that. I didn't really do much during the war and after a certain point my memories just stop."

"Rose." Garnet stated, grabbing Steven's attention. She gave a glance his way before continuing. "Are you sure you don't remember anything about that point in time? Or afterwards?"

"All the memories I have after that are of a different person." I replied, I got a quick look of worry from Pearl before my next words calmed her. "They're what make me who I am today. I woke in that forest and with all that stuff in my head I just don't think I could be the same person, so then suddenly I wasn't. It makes it harder to remember things but I think given my past it's for the best."

"Wait, did Mom know Pink?" Steven asked, a little confused. "And what do you mean that some Gems were made here on Earth? Where's the Kindergarten they went too? Can I go?"

"I thought this would be a bit much for you." Pearl stated, giving Steven a motherly look of affection. "I'll explain it to you when you're a bit older Steven, right now there are some things you're better off not knowing."

"Awww but Pearl, I want to know more about Gem stuff!" Steven complained. "Then maybe I can go help you guys on missions. Oh! That reminds me! Can you show me how to summon my Gem weapon? I was soooooo close before!"

"Of course I'll help you Steven, while we're training I'll tell you a bit more about Gems too. How about that?" Pearl replied, a happy smile on her face as she stood up.

"Yay Pearl!" Steven yelled in excitement, jumping off of the couch and running around her as she made her way towards the door with a smile on her face.

Before they left Pearl turned and gave Garnet and me a look, I gave her a thumbs up and she gave back a small smile before opening the screen door and ushering Steven out with her. Heading out to where ever they were going to train.

"I appreciate you being honest with us given what you remember, I'm sure it was a difficult decision just to come for us for help." Garnet stated. "I can sense your still having a bit of trouble being around us."

"It's just nervousness. I don't really know you guys, it's different seeing you guys portrayed in my memories. The ones I still have, and honestly I'm still not sure what to think. But I know in the end we both want the same thing, to protect the Earth." I replied, looking Garnet in the eyes for the truth that I meant what I was saying. And honestly, I did. While I knew there was probably a whole bunch of other planets in the universe I could probably go and visit if I put my mind to it, the Earth was what I knew. Or as close too it as I could get at the moment.

"Wait, I was made on Earth." Amethyst said, giving me an appraising look. "That must mean you're my Diamond or whatever huh?"

"Sure, if you want to think of it like that." I replied with a bit of a smile. "Feel free to salute if you feel like it but I don't want any servants."

"Heh, you got it P." Amethyst said, a smirk of her own. "Anyway, I'm gonna lounge about a bit."

"Pink." Garnet said, grabbing my attention as Amethyst walked away. "I was wondering if you could answer some further questions?"

"Uh, sure." The temple door opened and closed as Amethyst went into her room.

"I know you left out a bit of important information, mainly for our sake." Garnet stated, a frown on her features. I suddenly didn't like being alone with her. "I already know that you're not really Pink Diamond. Not on the inside, and that you were once a Human."

"Ahhg, future vision?"

"Future vision, although getting you to admit it told me it was true" Garnet stated, examining me from behind her glasses. "It's part of the reason why I'm giving you a chance. But I have to know, is it really happening like you described? Do you only have fractures of Pink Diamond's memories?"

"I'm sorry about the deception, but I needed help and I didn't know what to do." I stated sullenly. "But yes, I have about all the memories I've described and a little more. But nothing that would be useful right now, if at all."

"What is it like?" Garnet asked, curiosity getting the better of her as she leaned in. "A human turned Gem?"

"I... It's hard to describe. I'm me but I'm also not, and I'm finding myself doing things I wouldn't normally do either." I stated, thinking how to explain what was happening to me over in my head. "I'm thinking differently than I would before as well, it's like the two halves are making a whole and they're not finished yet. Hell it's half the reason I look the way I do now." I added gesturing to my clothing. "It's something more akin to what I would've worn when I was... my past self. I think I'll probably change it up some more as I go."

"And you're not scared of these new changes?" She asked, looking me dead in the eye. At least as far as I could tell looking into her glasses.

"A little, but I'm not going to fight it." I replied, still in thought. "I'm actually kind of excited to see what'll happen over time."

"Well, that's good enough for me." Garnet said, standing up from the couch. "You can stay with us as long as you desire. And don't worry I wont tell the others about the whole human thing, I'll let you tell them once you're ready."

"What if I'm never ready?" I asked, a little worried about the future.

"You will be." Garnet stated before turning and walking towards the door. "I'm going to find Steven, something tells me Pearl might need help with some of his questions."

"Okay, thanks Garnet, for everything." I said, a smile on my face. Garnet left with a two finger salute in my direction.

Well, that ordeal was over. In the end I was kind of glad that Garnet knew, although I figured with that future vision of hers that she'd know that I knew a little bit more than I was letting on. Honestly I was just surprised hat I'd managed to get through all that without actually telling a lie, I was thinking to myself before all this while walking up with Greg that it would be a disaster but now that I was here, and actually with the Crystal Gems. Things felt better.

But now what?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 A Crystal Gem

I was sitting out on the beach watching the waves. I'd come out here after I realised there was nothing to do in the temple/beach house, nothing interesting anyway. After all I didn't know what was on TV, and when I'd checked I couldn't recognise anything. I'd had a quick look through Stevens video games as well and was surprised to find a gamecube of all things. I guess Rebecca sugar must be a Nintendo fan or something, unfortunately none of the games looked interesting. The only one I recognised a bit was that golfing game that Steven was playing in that one episode that he got lost in his mom's room.

After that thought I'd considered going in there but didn't want to risk it. Being able to go in there would raise a lot of questions that shouldn't be answered until later, at least if I wanted to keep what knowledge I had of the future.

And that led me out here, sitting on the sand and listening to the calming sound of the waves washing into and off of the shore. Did I want to change anything? If so how badly?

I know that it would be possible to hide as something or someone else when important characters who knew Pink Diamond came into play, if I got a lot of shape shifting practice in. The first obstacle would be Jasper. I didn't know about Peridot, but I probably wasn't going to take any risks I didn't need to about keeping my 'survival' a secret to Home world.

I didn't want the other Diamonds to know I was alive, not yet. But... at want point would I be prepared to let them know? Would I ever be? That wasn't important. Once Steven got all his powers and such we would be ready for the Diamonds, but it's not like I could just call them up when I was ready. I'd have to time it... maybe... Aquamarine? That might work, but would that be to far along in the ti-

"Pink! We're back! Come on inside!" I heard Steven yell behind me. Turning around I saw him waving from the house. I smiled and stood up, waving back at him as I walked towards the temple away from the waves. I could think about this stuff later, I still had time on my side.

"Oh and Garnet." Steven said, reaching up and turning Garnets face a bit.

"Steven I'm not sure this is how it works." Pearl stated, a little confused about his antics. But obviously playing along.

"Hey Steven, what're you doing?" I asked, closing the screen door behind me as I walked in.

"Hey Pink! I'm just setting everything up the way it was when my Gem was glowing before." He replied. "Maybe if I do everything the same as last time I'll finally be able to summon my Gem weapon!"

"Cool, I'll just stay out of your way then." I replied with a thumbs up as sign that I was fine, before sitting down on the couch and watching everything go on.

"And then I grabbed the ice cream from the freezer and-Oh the Song!" Steven said. "Uhhh, he's a frozen treat...all new taste...interstellar war...now available at gergins. Aww man it was funnier before." Steven checked his Gem and sighed "Nothing, maybe I'm not a real Crystal Gem."

"Don't be silly Steven, of course you are." Pearl said tenderly.

"Heh yeah." Amethyst said grabbing his attention. "And you're fun to have around, even if your Gem is useless." Pearl stared Amethyst down angrily. "I mean... You're one of us Steven. We're not the Crystal Gems without you."

Garnet nodded when Steven turned his attention towards her, but I froze when his gaze turned to me. I just gave him a smile and a nod, which the other Gems seemed to appreciate.

"Yeah, even if I don't have powers I've still got...Cookie Cat!" He stated, biting into the ice cream. "Augh, so goood."

I remembered the episode well enough but my eyes widened as his Gem started to glow, the light filling half of the room. I really didn't remember it being that bright, then again it had been a while.

"Steven..." Pearl said, staring in amazement as a flash of emotions went over her features. "It's a shield..."

"Oho What?! I get a Shield?!" Steven exclaimed, his eyes seemed starry he was so overjoyed. Seems the show had gotten that depiction about spot on. "OoooooooooHHH YEAH!" Steven yelled in happiness, sending the shield flying about the room.

I yelled a little bit in fear as the Shield came in my direction and jumped out of the way, crawling under the table for protection. After ricocheting off of the walls a few more times I heard the shield break and get lodged in the TV in Stevens room. Amethyst couldn't help herself and fell into a fit of giggles while the other two Gems shook their heads in disappointment, I was slowly crawling out from under the table after I made sure it was safe.

"Cookie Cat!" Steven exclaimed, having made a realisation. Unfortunately for him a false one. "I summon my Gem weapon by eating ice cream!"

"What's...IN these things?" Pearl asked, picking up and checking the back of the packaging.

The whole temple shook as the shadow of many centipeetle passed over the windows, followed by a VERY big one.

"What on EARTH is that?" I asked, my eyes fixated on the front of them temple.

"The Mother." Garnet responded rushing outside along with everyone else. I followed after them. "Take care of Steven." She added, before jumping up the mountain towards the corrupted gem.

"But I can help too!" Steven exclaimed, running back inside.

While I waiting for Steven I saw Garnet jump over me and onto the sand, followed by the centipeetle mother. Nephrite if I remembered her gem name right. I frowned a bit as I looked down at my own gem, and focused on summoning my shield again. It seemed a little easier than before, but I still had to think about defending something.

'_I wonder if I can change this at all?_' I thought to myself as I examined the Gem weapon, MY Gem weapon. '_I'm guessing Rose changed hers, so I should be able to change mine._'

After a bit of concentration I was able to make the shield bigger, even make it spin in place, but I couldn't change it's design at all. '_Not yet anyway._'

"Guys!" Steven screamed in worry as he came running out of the house behind me, a cookie cat freezer on his back.

By now the centipeetle mother had them forced behind one of the stone hands from the temple that had broken off from the hill and now sat on the beach. The Mother was shooting a large stream of acid from its mouth, melting the Gems cover. Throwing a rock at it I told Steven to go in the other direction while I distracted it. He nodded in agreement and laid out electric cable as he ran.

"Hey ugly!" I yelled, the rock I'd thrown catching the corrupted gems attention.

It took a second for the hit to register to the poor beast but eventually the stream of acid stopped and it's turned its gaze to me, snapping in the place I once was. Jumping back again I raised my shield as a stream of acid broke across its surface. A bit managed to drip over the shield on to me, so I expanded the shield width until the stream was pouring around me instead of onto me.

I thought about giving the shield a spin but realised that it would just spread the acid everywhere, not actually stop the stream.

"Why wont it work!" I heard Steven yell over the sound of the acid eating the sand around me.

As the stream of acid stopped the Mother turned it attention to Steven, so did I. He'd eaten all the ice cream from the small freezer he'd brought, their packets littering the beach. I tried yelling at the beast but it's view was directed towards Steven who's eyes went wide and dodged out of the way of a stream of acid.

'Alright, lets see how fast I can spin this.' I thought to myself as I frowned at the corrupted gem. In response to my thoughts the large shield I was using shrunk down into two smaller shields with sharper geometric edges, it was then they started spinning fast, then faster, then faster.

With a yell I ran and jumped towards the Mother and cut into it's form with my shields, distracting it from Steven and causing it to arc in pain.

"Gems, Now!" I heard Garnet yell, a bright light came from the beach as they all summoned their weapons at once.

I heard their charge into battle and kept pressure before I was thrown off by the writhing of the corrupted Gem. The beach was soon silent though as obviously it had enough damage done to it and it 'poofed', falling to the sand before being picked up and bubbled by Garnet.

I sighed in relief and dispelled, or got rid of my constructed shield blades and got up, dusting myself off of sand. Once I was done I noticed that the Gems had gathered around Steven who was crouched on the ground.

"Oh no! Is Steven hurt?" I shouted in a panic as I ran over to check, I got there much quickeer than I thought I would.

"Only my emotions." Steven said, patting a little patch of dirt mixed with sand that resembled a grave. Tears started collecting in his eyes.

"Are you crying?" Amethyst asked, surprised.

"Only a little!" Steven replied loudly, his sombre expression still facing the 'grave'.

"Well, looks like your powers don't come from ice cream." Amethyst stated, sitting next to steven with a comforting smile on her face.

"Of course they don't." Pearl stated, stepping in closer to him from the other side. "Don't worry Steven I'm sure one day soon you'll figure out how to activate your Gem." She added, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, in your own Steveny way." Garnet added with a loving smile.

"I'm okay guys, really." Steven stated, one hand on his stomach.

"I don't know. You did just eat a LOT of ice cream." I stated, Steven stomach grumbling in response.

Not even a moment later Steven chuckled in response before barfing all over the grave he'd just dug, everyone besides Garnet flinched away just a bit.

"I think It's time for a bath and then bed." Pearl stated with a bit of a forced smile, picking Steven up and walking towards the house. Everyone nodded in agreement but Steven moaned in complaint.

"Aww but I want to stay up for a bit longer."

"You honestly don't even feel the least bit tired from all the running around you've done today?" I asked with a crooked smile, it was hard to believe he had the energy to keep going. Then again he was just an eight- no wait he was supposed to be fourteen wasn't he? Or was it thirteen right now?

"Not even the least bit *YAWN* tired." Steven replied, snuggling a bit into Pearl's shoulder. "I could stay up all night long if I wanted too."

"No way man. You get way too cranky." Amethyst stated as we walked up into the house. "Besides a bath is a great idea right now, you're clothes are ruined."

"Oh yeah, sorry Pearl. Even if I know you like cleaning them." Steven replied. "Also I'd like to get down now."

"If you're sure." Pearl stated, placing him down. He immediately started running towards the bathroom while stripping off while giggling. In response Pearl just groaned and followed after him, picking up his clothes.

"Wooo yeah! Go Steven!" Amethyst yelled, cheering him on as he entered the bathroom.

"Wow, he's so free spirited." I stated, standing next to Garnet as this unfolded. A simple mm-hmm being the answer. "Was his mother this free spirited?"

"Close too." Garnet replied with a fondness in her voice, her head turning too the portrait of Rose Quarts on the wall above the front door. Strangely though she seemed to tense up and look at me as if expecting a reacti- wait Rose Quarts. Right.

"Wait, Stevens mom was Rose Quarts?" I asked, injecting a little bit of fear into my voice. "But where is she now?"

"She...Became Steven." Garnet replied, still tense and waiting on my response.

"But He- I mean She... Okay I'm confused." I stated, not all together lying. After all the concept of the transformation itself and the loss of memories on Stevens part was a bit confusing.

"I think you understand what's happened though, haven't you?" Garnet stated, calming down.

"I think so, I understand how organic things grow. I used to have a garden." I stated, thoughts of a vengeful Spinel cropping up in my head. "Although I'll admit a Human grown around and...BEING a Gem is a new one for me."

"Growing around?" Garnet asked, a bit of pointed curiosity in her voice. "What exactly do you mean?"

"Humans grow other humans inside themselves right?" I asked, mainly for explanations sake.

"It's a bit more complicated but yes." Garnet replied with a nod.

"I'm assuming Rose did something similar, but in that case it would be something organic growing inside of a Gem." I speculated, my hand going to my chin as I went into thought. "My guess is that she waited the appropriate growing time for the child to grow before shifting her form into that of the child as well, maybe in the process destroying who or what she is? There's no way to be certain."

"That's very detailed." Garnet stated, staring at me.

"I've had this at the back of my mind since I met Steven and found out he had a Gem." At this point for theatrics I went still before chuckling nervously. "I suppose it took me longer than should've been necessary to identify that Rose Quarts Gem he had was THE Rose Quarts huh?"

"It would seem that way." Garnet stated walking toward me. I flinched as she put a soft hand on my shoulder, before giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I know that some of your past memories of us must seem bad, but we're here to help. For as long as you love the Earth." Garnet stated, a smile on her face.

"Thanks Garnet, I've still got a bit of self discovery and recovery to do." I stated, looking around at the beach house/ temple and still not quite believing I was here. "But I'm glad I have you guys to help me with that."

"We'll always be here girl." Amethyst said, startling me and making me jump into Garnets waiting arms. "I've been here the whole time, so no worries. We've all got your back."

"Thanks, I appreciate that. I'll do what I can to help as well." I stated, actually meaning that. Hell if I was going to let the sea spire crumble, I was actually curious at how it'd look rebuilt.

Garnet smiled at me in response. "I know you will. Welcome officially to the Crystal Gems." She said with a big smile on her face, glasses covering her eyes. "Never thought I'd be saying that to a Diamond of all Gems."

"Thanks I guess I'll have to find somewhere to put a star next time I poof." I replied with a matching smile, before thinking that sentence over. "If I poof."

"Right, well now that That's done. I think Imma go for a nap!" Amethyst stated, giving us a wave as she walked into her room of the temple.

I waved back as Garnet gave a nod in her direction, the door closing and leaving just me and Garnet in the kitchen listening to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.

"I guess I don't have a room do I?" I stated looking at the temple, thinking hard on making sure my feelings or thoughts didn't make my Gem activate and open 'my' room.

"No, but I'm sure we will figure something out." Garnet replied, looking back to me. "For the moment feel free to explore the house, I have a feeling we'll have some missions to go on soon enough." She added, stepping away from the counter before walking towards the temple.

"Thanks Garnet, for being understanding." I said, a smile on my face as she walked into her room of the temple.

And so I was left alone in the beach house...temple? I kind of found it strange the stark difference of both building being grafted onto one another, kind of reminded me of Steven. I sighed a bit and stepped away from the counter myself before looking around the house for something to do. Finding nothing interesting I walked outside to the balcony and leant on the railing, watching the last rays of the sun set and the stars slowly become visible in the night sky.

'To think I was stressing over something so simple.' I thought to myself. 'I'm glad Greg brought me here.'

But it wasn't simple was it? I still had so many things to go over with everyone, the inevitable reveal that Rose was once Pink Diamond. And then after that the question of where I came from, which I had NO idea of.

"M- Ahem. Pink, are you okay?" I heard Pearl ask behind me.

I turned around and looked at her, giving her a light smile before looking back up at the sky.

"Yeah I'm good, just got bored and came out here to watch the sky." I replied, a strained look coming over my face once I looked away. 'We should probably talk. But would she be willing?'

"I just put Steven to bed if you wanted to...talk." Pearl stated, although it seemed a bit forced on her part. "It's just us."

"Am I that transparent?" I let out with a sigh, turning my head towards her with a sad smile.

"Only to me." Pearl replied, leaning next to me on the railing. "I think Garnet knows something though."

"She always does, she's a smart Gem." I stated, getting a look from Pearl at the words. "But I get the feeling whatever she thinks she knows is harmless, so she's letting it be."

"That's a relief." Pearl said, putting a hand to her face. It highlighted her exasperation well. "So..."

"Sure, lets go for a walk though. Just to be sure." I stated, starting to make my way down the stairs.

After a moment of hesitation from Pearl I could hear her footsteps along the wood behind me as I finally descended onto the dirt and sand surrounding the temple. I made my way down to the beach and stood in front of the waves, Pearl soon stood beside me.

"We're not going to be overheard here Pearl." I stated, looking out at the waves as they rolled onto and off of the sand. "So if you wanted to ask any questions that haven't been asked yet, please feel free. I think it would ease a bit of burden from both our shoulders."

"Do...Do you know about Rose? Her secret?" Pearl asked hesitantly, as if fearing the answer.

"Yes." I replied simply, sitting on the sand. "You can speak to me about it Pearl, I did start the rebellion after all."

"So, is it really you then?" She asked, her eyes gleaming with hope. "R-Rose?"

"I have some of her memories, and her Gem but no." I stated sadly.

Pearl whimpered a bit before sitting next to me in the sand next to me. We sat there for a few minutes, watching the waves.

"I'm sorry." Pearl said, wiping away some tears as she turned to me. "I thought, that for a moment-"

"You don't have to be sorry Pearl, you loved her." I turned to face her and saw the shock on her features and smiled sadly before adding "She may not have been able to tell but I can, and from what it's worth on her behalf I'll say I'm sorry."

"You don't have too." Pearl replied, a bit calmer now. "I think it's enough to know that someone else knows how I felt and sympathises."

"Ahhg there's so much other stuff that I messed up." I said, lying back in the sand. "The thing that makes it worse is I know it kind of wasn't me but it also is."

"I'll admit your situation is a bit... complicated." Pearl stated. "But you have all of us here with you now, and the Crystal Gems stick by each other no matter what."

"I...have to tell you a few things, Things that you aren't going to like." I said, sitting back up and shaking the sand from my hair. My solemn expression must of worried Pearl.

"Like what exactly?"

A/N

Next Chapter was a bit hard to split up, so it ended up being a two parter.

Still, if you like long chapters I suppose that's something to look forward too. Enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5-6

Chapter 5-6 A Red Eye and Happy Family

"I... kind of have a Lion." I started with, figuring something small at first would be easiest.

"I'm sorry, I must of misheard you. You have a Lion?" Pearl asked, disbelievingly.

"Yeah, I ran into a pride of them while in the desert of all places, the same one I er... Parked my ship." I said, rubbing the back of my head as I sorted out what I'd seen from the show in my head. "Eventually they all died but when the last one went I couldn't help myself and I cried. It turned Pink and it came back to life."

"So you just have this Lion now?" Pearl asked, a little huffed. "Where is it exactly?"

"Still out in the desert I think, I left it there to protect some of my things I left by the ship. Well, I suppose by things I mean trash." I replied, thinking back to the episode where we found out about the extra tape Rose had made in case she'd had a girl. "It's been a long time though."

"Right then. Anything else?" Pearl asked, she raised a hand to her head. Seemed like she was getting a headache.

"I... may have left Spinel in the Garden." I blurted out.

"Spinel? Your old playmate? I haven't heard about her in..." Pearl suddenly got this far away look on her face before turning to me. "You haven't been to the Garden in around six thousand years...Has Spinel been there the whole time?"

"While I hope not, I think so." I replied glumly. "Uuugh having all these memories makes me feel terrible about who I was."

"But you were the best of the Diamonds!" Pearl stated, a little bit of anger in her voice. "You were the only one who saw the beauty this world had to offer, and you made so many people happy. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't even be here talking!"

"I know, and I'm trying to feel better about my decisions so I can feel better about my past self and move onto who I am now." I stated, the thought of myself lingering in the back of my mind. It was a confusing thing. "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't feel bad about the wrong things I've done. If I didn't what kind of Gem would I be."

"I see your point, but that's no reason to dwell on them all the time." Pearl replied sagely, a hand on my shoulder. "I understand, I really do. We've all made mistakes in the past, and chances are we'll still make mistakes in the future. But how we think about them and what we do about them defines a bit of who we are."

"Wow, that was beautiful Pearl."

"Thank you my Diamond." Pearl replied, stiffening up a bit. "I-I'm sorry I meant Pink."

"Old habits die hard huh Pearl?" I stated with a small smile in her direction. "But please don't feel stressed saying that around me, I don't care how you refer to me."

"It's just so strange with you back. Especially as- well as you are now." Pearl said gesturing in my direction. "Which brings up a question I've been meaning to ask since I saw you, why didn't you come back as Rose? It would of made things a lot easier."

"Would it have?" I replied, grabbing her attention. "I told you guys before about my memories and to an extent I wasn't lying, I remember more about myself being Pink Diamond than I do being Rose. And besides that, I wasn't sure I was ready to be a mother."

"But you'd make a great mother, your so compassionate and caring." Pearl said in confusion.

"I'll say it again, I may have her memories but I'm not either of them. Not any more." I said, looking out to the waves. "I'm still trying to figure out who I am, and in the end I do think I'll be more Pink Diamond than Rose. It's complicated and weird but I need you to understand the difference."

"But...Steven-"

"Of course I'll be there for Steven when he needs me. But not as his Mother." I stated, looking at Pearl. She had a worried yet thoughful look on her face as she contemplated what I was saying. "In a way we both came from Rose, I kind of see myself more as his Sister than anything else. I'd do anything for my Brother." I said, a genuine smile on my face as I thought of Steven.

"I...I suppose I never thought of it-you like that." Pearl stated, looking me over before letting out a short but lively laugh. "That explains your size."

"I'll have you know I'm just fine with my size the way it is thank you." I replied with a frown, although I slipped into a smile at the end of the sentence. "Although I was thinking of doing something with my hair, maybe something shoulder length?"

"You'll look great no matter what form you choose my- Pink." Pearl stated, a little embarrassed from the slip up. I decided to ignore it this time for her sake.

"Thanks Pearl." I replied, staring back out to the ocean.

I contemplated telling her about the Sword and Bismuth, but figured I didn't want to sour the good note we'd left on. "I think I'm going to stay here and listen to the waves for tonight, those confessions took a lot out of me." I said, laying back on the sand and closing my eyes.

"Alright." I heard Pearl say, a bit of mirth in her voice as I heard her stand. "If you need me I'll be watching Steven."

I was already asleep.

* * *

_I was sitting at my mirror, toying with bits of Gem. I was currently working on the design for a new quarts I'd wanted made on Earth, something all my own. I smiled broadly in excitement before shaking my head so I didn't lose focus. I heard a light ringing chime and stood up with a smile, knowing that Blue was calling me._

_'Maybe she wants to help with the Colony?' I thought to myself as I stood down from the mirror and exited my personal compartment._

_I reached the door of my room and as if knowing I was there now it opened revealing Blue in all her glory, a loving smile on her face as she looked down at me. I smiled back._

'I don't remember this from the show.' I thought to myself as the world around me blurred a bit before coming back into focus.

_I looked down at myself now and saw what I was wearing when I'd fought that Nephrite on the Beach._

"_Are you ready for your lessons Pink?" Blue asked in that high soothing voice of hers. "I know you want to impress us but if it's too much for you right now-"_

"_Nope! Lead the way Blue, I've got some learning to do!" I interrupted with some gutso, a large smile plastered on my face._

"_If you're sure." Blue replied with a giggle. "Oh, do not forget to bring your Pearl."_

"_Oh right." I replied, a sheepish grin on my face. "Come on Pearl!"_

_With a flustered look out came my Pearl from my room, a light blush on her face from embarresment._

"_Terribly sorry for my disregard for the duty to stay by your side my Diamond." She said with a smile and a salute. "But you're Pink."_

"_What?" I asked, a bit confused. "I know I'm Pink, I am Pink Diamond."_

"_Forgive me my Diamond but Pink." She retorted, saluting again._

_I looked at her in confusion before looking back up to Blue, who sighed._

"_She must be defective, unless you've broken this one too." She said disappointedly._

"_What? She's not defective, she's just... confused!" I stammered out in Pearls defence before looking her way with a smile, it was starting to be forced._

"_Pink, get up." Pearl said, her face looking worried now._

_I pointed a finger at her to start to say something before I noticed my hand was gloved. I looked further down and realised I'd reverted back to how I was the day before, when I'd first woken up in the forest. I looked down at the now small Pearl in worry._

"_Pink please wake up." I heard Blue say in a strange voice which sounded like..._

'Steven?' I thought to myself, before realising where I was, and how out of place it was. 'Oh I'm dreaming.'

* * *

With that thought everything went blank for a moment before my eyes opened to sunlight and I sat upright. The yell that followed and the purple Gem that was flung away from my hair along with Steven-

"Steven!" I yelled, reaching out to him even though he'd already left my reach. Doing so told me that I was back to my old form just like in the dream. I frowned a bit when I looked down at the elbow length gloves covering my arms. 'Is this going to happen all the time?'

In that split second of thought I saw Amethyst catch Steven in the air, before turning into a pterodactyl and flying him back beside me where I saw a worried Pearl and Garnet, standing his her arms crossed.

"Oh... Uh, good morning?" I said, trying to break the tension.

"Are you okay? We've been trying to wake you for an hour and then you... well reverted." Pearl stated, her face scrunched with worry.

"Some memories coming back." I replied, standing up and changing forms back to my now preferred look. "I think my gem just reacted to going so deep into old memories."

"What were you doing?" Steven asked curiously, a smile on his face. He seemed to have enjoyed the brief flight instead of being scared of it, which was good. "In your dream I mean."

"I was refining my design for some Quarts that were going to be made here on Earth." I stated simply with a smile, although that smile disappeared when I saw Pearl's face shift into worry then a slight bit of anger.

"Ooooo, I asked this last night and nobody told me anything!" Steven yelled out excitedly, quickly looking toward Amethyst then Garnet and Pearl, who were sending me glares. "I have so many questions..." Steven stage whispered loudly for dramatic effect.

"Yes Steven, some Gem's were made on Earth." Pearl explained, a bit exasperated at having been put into this position. "Although it hasn't been done for a long time now."

"Cool!" Steven burst out. "I wanna learn more stuff about Gems!"

"I'd love to Steven, but I wouldn't know where to even start." Pearl replied, getting a little excited herself. The joy of being able to teach Steven outweighing her irritation of me for now.

"Most Human schools start with language I think." I added, getting a look from Pearl. "What?"

"While useful, how do you even know that?" Pearl asked curiously.

"I..." I locked up and froze as I realised the shit I might've dragged myself into. "I-I think I studied humans in my zoo? But then how do I know what a school is?"

"We REALLY need to sort out this memory problem of yours." Pearl stated, a bit exasperated.

"Does it matter how she knows it?" Steven asked innocently. "As long as she knows some of this stuff, maybe she'll be able to help teach me!"

"I don't think I'm really in the right mind for teaching anything right now." I replied, feeling a little down put that I couldn't help the boy. "I'm still trying to sort myself out."

"Yeah we know." Amethyst stated, her characteristic grin on her face. "I didn't realise Diamonds could get so... BIG." She added, the grin widening to a smirk.

"My sisters are MUCH bigger than I am." I said, thinking of Blue from the dream. "When I'm like that I usually only come up to their knees, if that."

"Wow." Amethyst said. "Well to get my mind off of that I think I'm going to go walk around the town for a bit. See ya!" she added, walking off towards the boardwalk.

"Wait up Amethyst! I wanna come too!" Steven yelled after her, running after her. I saw Amethyst laugh and start running away from Steven and soon they were gone.

"Soooo, what do you guys do for fun around here?" I asked, watching them walk off. I turned my head back to see their responses.

"Fun? Well we could always fold some clothes." Pearl started with a smile. A genuine one. "Or we could clean up the temple a bit and re-organise some things."

"Usually I just sit quietly with myself." Garnet stated. I gave her an approving nod, knowing that the bonding time would be good for Ruby and Sapphire.

"Okay... I think I'm gonna fiddle with my shield a bit, see what I can really do with it." I stated, with a smile, before looking around the beach. "And maybe just sit and watch the waves for a bit."

After that agreement on what we were doing the other two main Crystal Gems left me and went inside as I sat down on the sand and summoned my shield. As a quick test I flexed the shield back and forth into different shapes and sizes, turning them into the cutting disks again before trying new stuff like making it look like various objects.

A smirk played on my face as I thought of an idea and used my shield to scoop up some sand before making the shield itself into a castle and placing it back down onto the beach. I dispelled my shield and was left with a perfect sand castle, representative of the shape it was in before.

"Oh this is going to be fun."

***INSERT INTERMISSION MUSIC HERE FOR AUDIO ENJOYMENT***

I rolled some stone dice I'd made from compressing sand, and smile as I moved some pieces forward on the small sand table I'd made, getting closer to the enemy pieces on the other side behind some dilapidated structures. A good amount of time had past while training with my shield, but inevitably I fell into temptation and started playing with shapes. Once I found they were quite easy if I could just imagine what I needed, the fun began.

I grinned widely with pride at the little Warhammer table I'd made, it was something I'd always meant to play when I was back in my first life. Somehow though I don't think the experience would've been as awesome as I felt it was now being able to make basically anything I wanted out of constructed sand. Felt a bit weird playing it by myself though.

"Pink!" I heard Garnet yell from the beach house, making me jump a little.

"Yeah?" I yelled back, looking at the horizon. It was getting dark already... the fuck is that in the sky?

Garnet rushed over to me and stood next to me as I looked at the big metal sphere blocking light from the sun. "You know I have to ask." Garnet stated, a bit of a disappointed look on her face. "It did show up right after you did."

"I have no idea what that...Is that a Red Eye?" I asked, a memory of that episode filtering back into my memories. "I can guarantee you I have no idea what it's doing here, further than that we can't let it get close enough to detect us or we're screwed. If the Diamonds knew I was alive..."

"Then they'd come to Earth..." Garnet stated with a shocked expression. "We need to destroy that thing!"

"GARNET!" I heard Pearl yell from the house before running up to us. "WE need to destroy that Red Eye before it finds-"

"Pink, we know." Garnet stated, staring down the orb that was slowly getting closer.

Pearl activated her gem and pulled a telescope from it, further looking at the orb. "Oh this isn't good, this isn't good at all..."

"Do we have anything that can destroy it?" I asked, staring at the Red Eye. When I turned to look at them they were staring at me. "What?"

"Well, you ARE a Diamond." Garnet stated. "But we understand if you can't remember or don't have the power to take something like that down by yourself."

"Sorry, just a super cool shield." I replied, showing her my geometric shield, now with a star pattern in the middle. Garnet smiled a little in response.

"Look at the SIZE of it." Pearl stated as she continued to observe the sphere. "I didn't realise they were THIS big!"

"Garnet! Pearl!" We heard Amethyst say from behind us, when we turned to look we saw that she was carrying Steven with her.

"We saw." Pearl stated, some obvious frustration in her voice. "Some of us are TRYING to protect humanity. Where were you?"

"Eating frybits." Amethyst stated, non apologetically. She placed Steven down once she stopped close to us.

"Can I see?" Steven asked excitedly as he ran up to the telescope and positioned it so he could see. The rest of us watch in abject horror as the Metal sphere opened itself fully and the 'Eye' of the Red Eye was revealed. "Whoa, It's a giant eyeball. Awesome!"

"Not Awesome!" Pearl interjected, her frustration still evident. "It's a Red Eye!"

"A Red Eye?!" Steven replied with evident worry. "Oh no, we're all going to get infected!"

"That's 'Pink eye' Steven." Garnet replied calmly.

"Oh ha ha." I replied from my sand chair, resting my hand on my face. "But I know you meant the infection." I added with a smile.

Amethyst giggled at the comparison.

"It's going to ram into beach city and crush us, along with a bunch of innocent oblivious people." Pearl stated with a worried look. "We have to stop it!"

"W-Well what're we going to do?" Steven asked, genuine worry on his face now.

"The only thing powerful enough to stop it is a light cannon that belonged to Rose Quarts." Garnet stated, using a bit of her future vision. Or I think she did, she adjusted her glasses as she said so anyway.

"My mom?" Steven asked.

"Uugh if Rose were here this would be sooo easy." Amethyst stated in frustration.

"I know." Pearl said with a slight look in my direction. "But the cannons missing, we'll have to find another solution."

"If it belonged to my mom, I bet my dad knows where it is." Steven stated, getting a bit excited again. "He can help us save the day!"

"Maybe, but there's only one way to know for sure." I replied with a smile, standing up from my sand chair.

"I don't know Steven, Pink." Pearl said, grabbing our attention. "Greg is..." She looked again in my direction before back to Steven "Nice but I don't think Rose would of entrusted him with such a powerful weapon."

"Your dad is kind of a mess Steven." Amethyst said outright, giving him a pat on the back.

"Amethyst!"

"I'm just sayin, even if she DID leave it with him, he probably broke it, or lost it, or dropped it in the ocean by accident." Amethyst continued, not dissuaded by Pearl's exclamation.

"True." Garnet said, adding her piece.

"No way!" Steven replied in his dad's defence. "I'm sure he's just keeping it somewhere safe. I'll go ask him."

"We can handle this Steven." Garnet said, coming to stand next to Amethyst. Garnet looked down at her before asking "Ready?"

Amethyst nodded in response and tensed herself as Garnet picked her up and jumped high into the air. Spinning around with as much force as she could we saw Garnet hurl Amethyst at the eye and Amethyst yell a war cry as she flew towards the offending eye. We watched silently as she landed with an audible glassy thud on the Red Eye before sliding off into the ocean.

"Yeeeaah I'm gonna go." Steven said, slinking away as everyone else looked horror struck at the Red Eye and how little damage Amethyst had done to it. If any.

"Okay, good luck." Pearl said, waving him off.

"I'll go with him." I added, getting a more concerned look but a thumbs up anyway as she went back to observing the eye.

"Barely any scratch at all." I heard Pearl say to Garnet as I walked away to catch up with Steven. "If we could get Amethyst to shapeshift into something pointed like a spear..."

It took a bit of jogging but in a few seconds I'd caught up with Steven, who smiled at me appreciatively. After a few more minutes running we were around to the car wash where Greg worked. We walked up to the parked van and I politely knocked, but got no answer.

"Here, let me try." Steven asked politely, knocking a bit harder. Still no answer.

"Maybe he's just real tired from working." I suggested, knocking a bit harder. Evidently I'd knocked to hard as I left a sizeable dent and the van's alarm started going off. "Oh... Uhh oops."

We both heard scrambling from the van and backed away from the doors as the burst open, Greg running out with a waffle iron.

"Who's the- Oh." Greg stated, blinking his eyes a bit slowly as he woke up a bit more seeing us. "It's just you guys. You should be more careful, I almost waffled your face." He added, turning of his van alarm with his keys. "What're you two doing up so late?"

"Whad'ya mean? The sun just went down an hour ago." Steven asked with a smile.

"Oh it was uh... It was a slow day at the car wash." Greg stated, rubbing the back of his head with a bit of embarrassment. "Anyway, what's up. You two come to hang out with Steven's favourite dad?"

I giggled a bit at the silliness of that statement but Steven took the initiative and said "No! I need the light cannon that belonged to mom, to blow up that eyeball!"

"Eyeball?" Greg repeated with confusion.

"That!" Steven said, pointing out the Red Eye. The timing for it was just about perfect as we all looked at Amethyst soaring through the sky once again, colliding uselessly with the eye and dropping off into the ocean again.

'I know we're supposed to be constructed of light and all but that still looks like it'd hurt.' I thought to myself, a bit of worry for Amethyst seeping into my mind.

"Wait, is that a magical thing?" Greg asked, turning back to us. "The Gem's told me not to get involved with magic stuff, It could be dangerous or interfere with what's left of my hair."

"But they need mom's cannon." Steven stated. "You've got to know where it is, like... a cave dungeon, or a cloud fortress or a clam at the bottom of the ocean."

"Humans generally don't have access to those kinds of area's Steven." I said, grabbing his attention. "Hell I don't even know whether any Human has made it to the 'bottom' of the ocean."

"You'd be surprised about what us humans can do." Greg added with a smile as he closed up his van, smile leaving a bit as he rubbed his hand on the dent. "But I still have an idea of where it might be."

Fast forward a minute or two as we piled inside the van and drove to the storage locker where Greg kept most of his stuff. I found living through these episodes was a bit weird, although I was glad things were still happening as I remembered them for the most part.

I looked towards Steven in the drivers seat next to his Dad and smiled. The relationship these two had was amazing, and to sit here and watch it was just as amazing if not more. Steven saw me looking and gave me a smile, I smiled back and looked forward to the road ahead, or what was left of it as we parked up.

"Okay, here we are." Greg stated, turning off the van and we all hopped out.

Steven gasped in delight before running towards the storage units themselves "A magical storage unit!"

"Ehh not exactly." Greg stated, before pointing some finger guns at Steven. "But some would say there's some magic inside."

Steven just stared at him, a bit confused. I giggled a bit at his reaction before Greg continued. "It's just a shed I use to put things that don't fit inside the van. But if it's anywhere it'll be in here."

Greg lifted the door to the shed and we saw that it was PACKED full of stuff. On the bright side a lot of it was in boxes so Greg had thought ahead to packing the valuables at least. Steven walked up and touched one of the boxes, making it fall and leave only a little hole to crawl through.

"If I'm gonna go in there, I'm gonna need some gear." Steven announced.

One quick montage later and Steven was giggling in glee as he crawled into the storage locker. that thought itself made me a little worried.

"Are you sure he's safe in there?" I asked Greg who laughed back.

"He's a tough kid, I'm sure He'll be fine." Greg responded, looking back up at the eye before back to me. "So how come only you came with Steven? I understand doing something about the Eye but it doesn't seem like what they're doing is working."

"I figured I'd see where his train of thought got him, plus I wanted to thank you again for making me go see the Gems." I said, a small smile on my face. It was quickly replaced with a bigger smile as he rubbed my hair.

"No problem short stuff, I'm just glad I could help." Greg stated, a genuine smile on his face. "Plus Steven seems to have taken a liking to you, and he could always use more friends."

"Do you golf?!" We heard Steven yell from the locker.

"I'd like to think of myself as someone who would golf! Eventually." Greg replied, getting closer to the locker and laying out some more of the cable that Steven was tied too. And I do mean cable, as in electrical cable.

"Are there even any golf courses nearby?" I asked, vaguely curious.

"I... Haven't really looked any up." Greg admitted. "I've kind of just been waiting for someone to invite me."

"Huh, Well I suppose it's always good to have a set." I said, with a smile.

"Hey! I found a whole box full of your old CD!" I heard Steven yell from the locker.

"Oh man, I couldn't give those away if I tried!" Greg yelled back with a bit of melancholy tingeing his voice.

"CD?" I asked, pretending not to know that Greg used to be an artist. "Do you write music?"

"Constantly." Greg replied with a smile. "Although I'm a bit surprised you know what a CD is, what with being a Gem and all."

"I surprised everyone this morning by telling them I knew what a school was." I replied, a small smile on my face. "It's making me think that I've got a few memories I shouldn't have, but with any luck maybe that'll tell me how I'm here."

"That sounds... complicated." Greg stated, rubbing his head a bit in confusion. "More Gem stuff?"

"Yeah, don't worry to much about it." I stated with a smile.

"Uhhh Dad! I broke a photo!" We heard Steven yell from inside the locker, thankfully distracting us from that line of conversation.

"It's okay buddy, if every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs!" I heard Greg yell back.

"Does that mean there's broken glass in there now?" I asked, a little worried again.

"Oh... Uh didn't think of that." Greg admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"DAD I FOUND IT!" We both heard Steven say with excitement. "Give me some cable and i'll tie it up!"

"Really?!" Greg replied, just as excited. He quickly loosened some cable from the spool on his shoulder before passing it to me. "I'll be right back with the van, could you hold onto this for me?"

"No problem." I replied, a silly grin on my face.

Honestly this was the most fun I've had since I came here. I wonder what that says about me? I pondered, my smile transforming into a frown as I thought about it. The frown was quickly gotten rid of though as Greg back up his van in front of the locker and came back out.

"Alright, let's tie this baby up!" Greg stated, taking the spool from my hands and looping the electrical cable around his back bumper. "Alright, let me know when Steven's ready."

"You got it." I replied with a thumbs up.

Greg walked towards the van and hopped in as I made my way towards the Storage locker.

"Hey Steven! You ready in there?" I yelled through the many many boxes of junk.

"Tell Dad to floor it!" Steven yelled from the locker.

"Floor it D-Greg!" I yelled, feeling my cheeks colour a bit at the slip up. I just couldn't help myself, he was such a stereotypical 'Dad'.

Thankfully without missing a beat Greg gunned the van and with some stretching of some misshapen mattresses inside the locker everything jerked free almost perfectly, suddenly falling apart into a pile in front of the locker when Greg released tension on the cable.

Steven came rushing out of the locker the same time as Greg as I looked out at the Red Eye we'd come to get the cannon to destroy.

"This thing could save the city! We've got to get it to the beach!" Steven exclaimed, in a bit of panic.

"How? It's too big for the van." Greg asked, a little bit more collected bit still with panic in his voice.

"I could carry it, do you think the vans suspension will hold though?" I stated, walking over and testing it's weight. Unsurprisingly I was able to lift it, if with a bit of strain before I balanced it on my shoulder.

"Uh... I think so." Greg replied, a little in awe at my strength for my size. "You think you can get on top of the van though?"

"Oh, uh didn't think of that..." I stated, before and idea came to me. "Oh, hold on a sec!"

I glowed Pink as I reverted back to my regular Diamond form, then proceeded to pick up and gently place the light cannon on top of Greg's van. It dented in a little at the weight but stayed sturdy enough to hold so I let out a sigh and shape shifted back to my more comfortable form and jumped on top with the cannon. Luckily enough the suspension was still holding, as well as the roof.

"Alright everyone in the van, that things getting to close for comfort." Greg stated, motioning us in. I jumped off of the roof once I was sure the cannon wouldn't go anywhere and followed them in, sitting back down in the back. I still gave a slight nervous glance upwards at the dent.

The van started up with a bit of a growl from the strain the connon was putting it under but the resilient machine pushed on and started driving as we made our way through Beach city towards the Beach where the gems were.

"Do you think the van will be okay?" Steven asked, staring back at the roof above me. Giving me a smile as he looked back to me.

"I hope so." Greg replied, with a little shrug of his shoulders "Still, if every porkchop were perfect-"

"We wouldn't have hot dogs!" Steven interrupted with a goofy smile.

"Man that things getting huge." Greg stated, a bit more panic in his voice than before. "It's freaking me out."

"Can't think thing go any faster?" Steven asked, looking around for something.

"This IS faster." Greg replied, a bit more panicked now.

"I'm sure we'll make it in time." I said, trying to be positive.

"I'm glad you're optimistic." Greg stated, looking into the rear view mirror and giving me a smile.

"Don't worry! Let's put on your CD." Steven stated, holding up a copy he must've taken from storage.

"R-Really?" Greg replied, going a bit red in embarrassment. "Come on, you've heard it."

"I haven't heard it yet." I stated simply, a curious smile on my face.

"Yeah, for Pink!" Steven said, putting the CD on before Greg could protest further.

What followed was pretty much exactly the same song the show had used, only distorted a bit from Gregs old van having a terrible CD player. It opened with a guitar riff before the Lyrics started.

"_Oooh I know I'm not that tall, I know I'm not that smart."_

"_But let me drive my van into your Heaart, let me drive my van into your heeeaart."_

"Let me Driive my van into your Heeart!"

I gave Steven a big smile as I adored how cute he could be, as he sang along to his dad's song. I could see Greg start smiling as well, although his cheeks still showed he was embarrassed. It was plain to me as we arrived at the beach that the Father loved his son whole heartedly. My smile widened at something so pure.

"_And if we look out of place! Well baby that's okay, I'll drive us into outer space, where we can here what people say-"_

The doors of the van slammed as we all piled out of it as quickly as we could, Steven ran off to the gems while Greg stood beside the van and I reverted back to my regular form again, picking up the cannon and placing it down onto the sand.

"Hey Guys!" I heard Steven yell to the Gems.

Turning around I saw them staring at me and with a slight blush of embarrassment changed back to my preferred form. The other Gem's rushed over to us, to stand next to the cannon.

"We're saved!" Amethyst exclaimed in joy, although it was quickly replaced with a tinge of fear as bit of sand and dirt started flying past us from the beach up into the sky towards the Red Eye.

"Wait, it's so big it has it's own gravitational pull?!" I exclaimed in fear, staring at it.

"The Eye itself creates a gravitation anomaly because of-"

"It doesn't matter, we have to use it NOW." Garnet stated, interrupting Pearl as she explained.

"I don't know how it works!" Pearl yelled in a panic, She gave a quick glance to me but I shrugged my shoulders in response. I knew how it worked but this would be good for Steven.

"How do we use it?" We heard Steven ask Greg, who simply shrugged his shoulder in confusion.

"Steven, this is SERIOUS." Pearl stated, grabbing Steven and turning him around to face her. "Wait, Rose's Gem. You have Rose's Gem!"

"That's it!" Amethyst stated, grabbing Steven by the sides and pushing him up against the cannon. When that didn't work she tried sliding him up and down in it, as if it would've made any difference.

"Stop this." Garnet simply stated, Amethyst released Steven in response, who then clung to the cannon.

"Ohh, it's no use." Pearl stated, gravely disappointed.

"Just throw me again!" Amethyst yelled over the growing wind.

At this point Greg's van started to move towards the beach, being pulled towards the Eye.

"I got this!" Greg stated, running towards the van and grabbing onto the back bumper, he then proceeded to get dragged along with it. "No wait! Maybe I don't!"

"Greg!" I yelled a bit alarmed as I rushed towards the van and took up a spot next to him and gripped on tight.

I made indents in the van as I gripped it as hard as I could and planted my feet in the sand, at that the van stopped. Greg let out a sigh as it stopped moving and thanked me. I gave him a nod as I grit my teeth and held on.

"Everyone's counting on you, you can't just be useless!" We both heard Steven say behind us, it put both of our hearts at ease when we realised he was talking to the light cannon. "I know you can help."

"It's okay Steven, we'll figure out something else." Greg yelled to his son, trying to reassure him. "Something even better."

The metal of Greg's van gave a bit but I tightened my grip further, not letting it budge an inch.

"R-Right." Steven said, his eyes going a bit watery. "If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs."

As he said the words needed to activate the cannon lines on the light pink piece of artillery started to glow. The sound of the cannon slowly activating grew as the cannon itself 'bloomed', the sides of the tip folding down into the shape of a rose. The cannon grew slack and it slammed into the sand, pointed right at me and Greg.

Greg gasped and flinched in fear but Steven rolled off of the cannon and got himself underneath it, lifting it slowly upwards. Seeing he was struggling the rest of the Crystal Gem's soon joined him and lifted the cannon to the correct angle, turning it to face the pupil of the Red Eye above us.

"Steven!" I heard Pearl exclaim as she looked in wonder at the small boy in front of her.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" We all heard Garnet yell, as she grit her teeth.

There was no bang from the cannon as it let loose the power it had been gathering, although there was still recoil. The gems took a step back and righted themselves as the recoil diminished between them, and then joined the rest of us in awe at the sight of the cannons blast growing thorns along it's path, forming a rose at the tip. Finally, as it was just about to reach its target the rose formed into the shape of Rose Quart's and clenched it's fist as the beam struck the middle of the eye.

Giant cracks started forming on the Red Eye as its insides were destroyed in a cascading failure and I felt the van had finally stopped pulling against me. Knowing the Eye was about to explode I picked up Greg who protested a little as I ran over to the Gems, who were still a little awestruck at the devastation happening above them.

I sat Greg down in the sand next to to the cannon as I heard the explosion behind me in the sky. Not wanting anyone to get hurt I set a shield over us blocking whatever debris might head our way.

"What? Pink?" I heard Pearl ask as she looked at me, she jumped in surprise with the rest of us as a big chunk of the Red Eye fell and cracked on my shield.

I fell to one knee at the blow, not expecting such an impact but stood back up, trying to stay strong as more debris and wreckage fell from the sky onto the town and into the sea, causing huge splashes.

"You saved us." I heard Steven mutter. Looking down at him I saw he had wide eyes full of adoration staring up at me.

I blushed a bit at having such emotion being directed at me but smiled and replied "What, you think I'm going to let my new friends get hurt?"

Getting back to concentrating I spiked the geometric shield I had above us and set it spinning at a decent pace, the effort was causing me to sweat a bit but it proved useful as another piece of wreckage about a quarter of the size of the last one fell onto the shield and was pulverised, then spread around us in much more manageable and safe sized chunks.

Pieces finally stopped raining down and with an exhausted sigh I got rid of my shield, sitting then laying down in the sand.

"Wow, great job you two!" Amethyst stated with a smile. "You saved most of Beach city AND more importantly, us!"

"Sorry about that!" Steven yelled to the board walk, as we heard car alarms go off in the distance.

"HOW did you get it to work?" Pearl asked Steven, still astonished.

"I just said that thing that Dad always says." Steven replied simply.

"You mean that thing about pork rinds?" Pearl asked, a bit of disbelief evident in her voice.

"Hot dogs." Garnet corrected, a hand on Pearls shoulder.

"Rose..." We heard Greg say, having heard us but still looking up at the sky where he'd caught a glimpse of the silhouette of his lover, now gone. A tear fell from his eye and he sniffed and wiped it away when he realised he was crying, his eyes still looking up to that spot.

We all were distracted from the moment though as the Sea rushed back into shore after having been pulled out by the Red Eye's gravity before. I flailed around a bit as I'd become fully submerged but was soon able to stand upright, the water only coming up to my lower stomach now.

I heard the others laughing and joined in on the mirth of such a big win, the relief of the giant machine being gone finally reaching me. We all stopped though as we saw Greg's van float past us into the beach. Knowing in my head it was going to float away I rushed forward as quickly as I could and stood in front of the van as it began floating back out into the ocean and pushing it back onto the sand.

"Phew... Thanks Pink, you're a real life saver." Greg stated, as he relaxed a bit. He took a quick glance back at the other Gems who were looking at us.

"Yeah, you saved all our butts with that big drill shield of yours!" Amethyst stated coming to stand next to me with the rest of the Crystal Gems. "I mean we probably would've jumped out of the way but you saved Greg! And his van, twice!"

"Yes, thank you." Garnet added with a nod and a smile.

"Are you okay from all of that?" Pearl asked with worry, kneeling a bit so she could see me face to face. "It looked like you went through a lot of effort to keep us safe, we wouldn't want you to strain yourself."

"I'm fine, Pearl." I replied, a smile on my face at her care. "I just need a little bit of rest after that I think."

Almost in response to that we heard Steven yawning and turned to see that he too was pretty tired after today.

"I think you could both use some rest." Pearl stated, grabbing me and standing me up. I stretched a bit as I got up. "Come on, we'll go put Steven to bed and find somewhere for you to rest. Then the rest of us will get to cleaning up the Beach a little."

"Agreed, I think you've earned a little break after today." Garnet added, stepping forward and picking up Steven. I gave off a bit of an 'eep' as she picked me up as well, hoisting me onto her shoulder. That was a bit more familiar than I was used too. "C'mon you two. Pearl, Amethyst. You'll need to help Greg get his van back to the car wash, it's currently flooded with seawater."

"Thanks Garnet." I heard Steven say, so I followed it up with an embarrassed thank you as well.

I looked back as Garnet started walking back to the house and giggle a bit as I saw Pearl open the back of the van and let out a small torrent of water. I settled down a bit though as the went out of sight and I started to think about the day as a whole, it had been a pretty wild ride. Even If I knew some of what was happening.

"I could put you down if you want me too." Garnet said to me as we neared the beach house, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"N-No I'm fine, It's actually kind of comforting in a weird way." I responded, getting another smile as a response. "Kind of makes me feel like a kid again."

"In a lot of ways you are." Garnet responded, actually sounding serious. The sound of wood echoed and creaked as she climbed up the Beach Houses steps. "Even if you do have memories of the past which let you know more about this world and the Earth, and home world and the Diamonds, You're still a relatively new Gem."

The screen door opened and closed without even a squeek, Pearl must've oiled them at some point. Were were both put down on the ground and Steven went up into his room starting to get ready to go to bed, but I could still see he was watching and listening.

"You say a new Gem, but am I new if I know what Pink Diamond knew?" I asked, that being a serious question. I knew I was still somewhat mature thanks to my time as a human before this but...

"Of course, after all I'm sure there's still a lot you don't know about gems, Or Humans for that matter." Garnet stated, kneeling down to my height. "I've looked into you, you know that. And the old Pink Diamond is gone. I think I'm happy with the new one."

"Thanks Garnet, that means a lot." I stated, my eyes a bit watery from the emotions I was trying to avoid getting to the surface.

"I know, that's why I said it." Garnet replied, standing back up. "Now both of you get some rest, we'll be helping clean up the town tomorrow."

I gave her a two finger salute as she left and went to lay on the couch when I heard Steven from upstairs.

"Did Garnet say you're a new Gem?" Steven asked, curiously. He buttoned up his pyjama shirt as he asked. "How new? Are you like a baby? You don't act like one."

"I don't think any Gem's except maybe you have started off as babies." I replied, as I walked over to the couch and sat in the comfortable corner spot next to the stairs. "But I'm pretty sure I'm young... I suppose, for a Gem."

"Well how old are you?" Steven asked, having finished his buttoning. He now sat down, dangling his legs down from his room above the couch.

"I'm... not sure?" I replied, wondering whether my Human age was even relevant after Garnets speech. "I suppose me, as I am right now. I'm not even a year old." I said out loud, a little stunned at the thought of that. 'AM I A BABY?' I thought worriedly before calming myself 'No, babies can't speak read or write...wait don't the gems have their own language? OH NO.'

"Wow you are a baby!" Steven asked, jumping down from his room from the couch and startling me. He crawled up close to have a look and changed his mind though. "Hmmmm, you don't look or act like one though. Which I suppose makes you a kid, just like me!" Steven exclaimed excitedly.

"I guess so." I replied simply, too many thoughts running through my head for an appropriate answer.

"Don't you get it?" Steven asked me, looking at me as if I was being stupid.

"Uh... get what?" I asked, pulling myself away from my thoughts on the matter to focus on Steven.

"That makes you my Sister!" He claimed with excitement, giving me a big hug.

I laughed a little at his excitement and returned the hug a bit hesitantly stumbling on what words I was going to use before saying "W-What about the other Crystal Gem's? Aren't they your family too?"

"Of course they are! We're all one big happy family!" Steven replied, pulling away from me as he explained further. "But Pearl and Garnet are like my mom's, and Amethyst is more like a funny uncle than a sister. And you're just the right age!"

"Oh... Okay then." I responded, still a little unsure. One look at Stevens face melted any resistance I had though and I smiled back "Guess that means you're my brother?"

"Yeah! Siblings forever!" Steven yelled, giving me another hug. The moment thought was interrupted by his yawn though and he gave a slight chuckle before jumping off of the couch. "Oh well, guess we better get that Rest Garnet was talking about. Good night Sis!" Steven added, running up the stairs and jumping into bed.

"Yeah, good night... Bro." I said back, still a bit of hesitation in my voice. I hoped it sounded as sincere as I meant it too. But honestly this was all a bit quick for me and I still didn't know how to feel.

As I scooted forwards and leaned back into the couch again though I found myself thinking about what both Garnet and Steven had said. In a way I suppose we were siblings, and in the Gems perspective I probably was a kid. I reached a hand down to touch my Gem, a Pink Diamond, The same one Steven had. We were closer than he knew. And there was so much I had to learn about Gems and Gem culture, I knew I had lived at least over twenty years as a human, which made interacting with kids like Steven a little weird.

'That's nothing compared to the other Gems though.' I thought to myself, sliding down further onto the couch until I was lying starting at the sloped ceiling. 'Am I a kid again? How would I know anyway, it's only been two days! It's only been two days...'

I turned and faced the kitchen, making myself comfortable again in my new position before I continued thinking. 'It only took one day for the Gems to accept me, although that was with a lot of help on Pearl's behalf. And on the second day I'm welcomed with open arms as a sister by Steven Universe. This is so overwhelming...'

I yawned a bit as rolled to face the inside of the couch, before taking the couch pillow and placing it under my head. 'I definitely need that sleep. I may not 'need it' need it, but I know that it's pretty much the best cure for any mental exhaustion.'

And so I sat there, trying to think of nothing. And it didn't work, still if I knew anything about myself I was going to fall asle-

* * *

The front door of the house opened quietly and Garnet stuck her head in, checking up top for Steven and then saw Pink sleeping on the couch. Giving a brief nod and a smile to herself she walked down to the beach to help Amethyst and Pearl move Greg's van. It had been too heavy for either of them and they wouldn't work together on it, but they'd managed to clean it up a little in the process.

While she knew that this new 'Pink Diamond' was at one point a human somehow, she was glad that they'd adjusted as well as they had. And she was proud of Steven for being so welcoming, especially proud that he saw her as a mother figure as well. That one touched her right in the gems.

She gave a smile as She made her way to the other Crystal Gems. She wanted to let Greg know herself about his new adopted 'Daughter' because she knew his reaction would be priceless. Not to mention Pearl and Amethyst's reactions once they knew how Steven saw them.

Although she wondered to herself how this new Gem, which was still forming their own person, would come to see the Crystal Gems. Thinking about it a little she supposed Steven was a bit right about being siblings. Even if Steven and the other Gems didn't know yet, those two were the only known Gem hybrids.

She smiled again as she thought about it.

"Yo G, what's up with the grin?" Amethyst asked she Garnet came to the van. "See a funny fish on the way here or somethin? All floppin about?"

"Greg." She said seriously, while she was smiling on the inside she knew for the best reaction she would have to be stone faced for this. "Have you ever thought of Steven having a sister?"

* * *

A/N

Alright, and that's the end of chapter 5 and 6. Currently all I've gotten written so far, but i find I like it, and i hope you did too!

Stay tuned in for more!


	6. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Personal Reflections

* * *

-A few days Later-

"You know I never thought such a simple game could be so engaging." Pearl stated as she moved her sand troopers to a building ahead of her on the board, she had a thoughtful look on her face as she made the decision. "Especially one based on violence, but all the numbers and organisation are simply so... I suppose soothing is the word, perhaps relaxing?"

I took a sip of the tea that Pearl had made for us after I asked her to brew a pot and gave a pleased sigh as the delicious taste hit my tongue.

"I thought you'd like this." I said with a genuine smile, moving my soldiers back on the board as I peaked my sniper out from one of the tall broken structures on the map before calling my shot on one of her soldiers. "I'm glad I asked you to play as well, you've got quite the mind for strategy."

I put my cup of tea down and grabbed the 'real' six sided dice I'd borrowed from some of Steven's other games and rolled them on the table we'd set up outside on the deck for this game. The dice hit the table and rolled past the miniatures I'd made out of sand on the table, only two landing a number high enough to get past the armour Pearl's soldiers were wearing and do damage.

But it seems that was enough to put on of her soldiers down so Pearl leant forward and squeezed the figure, having it break into sand easily.

"At first I was surprised at how versatile you were with your shield, but given... well you, I suppose I should have expected something a bit different. This wasn't exactly what I thought you'd be doing with your powers though." Pearl stated, making a sweeping gesture to the small structures of sand I'd made by moulding and compressing sand using my shield. It was something I'd gotten quite good at as I'd played with it some more.

"I wasn't sure whether it would even work or not, let alone how small I could get the shield." I replied with a small smile, bringing the sniper back out of sight of Pearl's men. "I've thought about going further with it but it's almost like I can feel a little strain when I try and concentrate it this small. I wouldn't even want to think how hard it would be to concentrate it into something like armour that would have to move with me."

"Maybe that's simply a lack of concentration on your part." Pearl responded as she thought about her next move, finger on her chin as she concentrated. "I'm sure with enough practice you can do anything you want Pink. Also I think I'm going to have my troops throw grenades at the bottom of the building your sniper is resting on." She added with a cocky smile.

"Then- wait what're you doing?" I said, stumbling over my words and blushing a bit in embarrassment when I realised I'd just proved Pearl right about the concentration thing. "Your throwing grenades at the 'bottom' of the structure? You know that wont do damage to my guys right? They're on the other side of the street."

"Which is why I'm aiming at toppling the structure onto your men." She stated with a satisfied smile, rolling the dice for the grenades damage.

My mind was racing though. While I knew it probably wasn't in the game regularly I didn't have a problem with terrain destruction. Hell I'd used a similar tactic earlier to gain a surprise attack on her now weakened men by blasting through the wall of a building.

After rolling and writing down the numbers a few times for each grenade her men had thrown she drew her soldiers back to a 'safe' distance on the board while I did some rough maths in my head. I agreed that the building did topple over but a die would decide which direction, and after the roll I was devastated and used my powers to play out the scene in sand, what was left of the buildings structure cracking and giving way.

I rolled some more dice for my men to see how badly injured they'd get from a ruined building falling onto them but wasn't expecting much. Then the dice proved lethal for my men. The scene continued to play out and my men were crushed under the rubble, the sniper smacking the ground and making a puddle.

"Wow, congratulations Pearl, you beat me on your first ever game!" I stated with a smile, genuinely proud. Although I could still feel the disappointment of loss I was glad Pearl had even tried the game in the first place when I'd suggested it, let alone set up a table specifically for it. With a bit of concentration I made a geometric bucket on the side of the table with my shield and then formed a wall with a catch at the bottom for sand, and pushed the sand off of the table into the 'bucket shield' before shooting it out onto the beach, it spread out quite a bit. "And thank you very much for the tea, I don't know what leaves you used but the taste was good enough for a Diamond."

"It was your favourite flavour of tea before as well." Pearl replied, standing up and grabbing the pot and milk jug. "Well before you figured out that it was, as you put it back then 'torturing plants with dehydration then wetting the bodies'."

"Yeah I can imagine it would have been pretty upsetting with that mindset." I stated as I thought about some of the memories that had resurfacing for me recently, Strangely they had only been memories of Pink Diamonds, not of Rose Quarts. Escaping my thoughts however I suddenly realised how quiet it was besides Pearl and I. I gave a quick look around the deck before looking back to Pearl confused. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, well once you asked me whether I would have time to play this new game with you I suggested to Garnet that it would be a good idea to let Steven have some fun as well." Pearl stated as we walked inside the house, the screen door swinging shut slowly behind us. "So of course Steven suggested Funland, and... well that's where everyone besides the two of us are."

"Oh, I would've thought they would invite us to come along." I said, still a little confused. "I'm almost certain Steven would've loved to show me around."

"Y-Yes, well." Pearl stammered, her facing going a slight lighter shade of blue as she blushed. "I may or may not have suggested that you would prefer to play this game with me than go to Funland with Steven."

"How sneaky of you." I replied with a small smirk, a little bit disappointed in Pearl's selfishness but still feeling playful. "Wanted me all to yourself did you?" I jokingly added.

"That's w-well I suppose not entirely untrue..." Pearl replied from the kitchen as she put the pot down.

"Oh." I replied back, the playfulness gone from my voice now at Pearls sincerity. "Uhh, well. I uh, appreciate the thought of it. I mean I do like spending time with you-"

"You do?" Pearl asked, turning around with a smile on her face. I could tell she was still a little anxious though. "I enjoy our time together as well, it reminds me of the past quite a lot. And I know how 'we' turned out in the past so I thought..."

"I know Pearl, I do. But this is going a bit fast for me." I said outright, not bothering to tiptoe around the subject. Pearl's face fell as I continued "That's not to mention the fact that I don't even really know myself yet, I don't know how long it would be until I'm ready for anything past a familial relationship. If I'd ever be ready for something like that."

Looking at Pearl's crestfallen face I started fidgeting a bit in guilt. I'd hurt her, even if it was the right thing to do for the both of us. But it simply wasn't healthy to cling to someone from the past by using someone from the present.

"I'm not Rose or the first Pink Pearl, I'm my own new person." I stated, she looked back up to me with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I've not even been here a week yet. At least try to get to know me for me first before you decide something like affection. Please, I don't want you to hurt yourself with feelings I can't return right now."

Pearl's eyes raised a bit as she caught onto the last part of that sentence. "Right now?"

She walked around the kitchen counter and stood in front of me, looking a bit down at me since right now my form came to chest height for her.

"So, things might change in the future?" She asked, sounding hopeful.

"Things are always changing, as long as you let them." I replied, a small smile coming to my face as I remembered Steven at the end of the series. "I know change isn't easy for Gem's, even the Crystal Gem's. But we'll find a way."

"We always do." Pearl stated, obviously still a little upset but smiling in my direction affectionately before looking away to the beach outside. "I...I'm sorry if I was a bit forward."

"That's okay, you meant well. Did you want to go somewhere maybe? Steven's probably still at Funland and I'm sure he'd be happy to see the both of us." I asked.

"I suppose this is what Garnet meant when she said we won't miss you." Pearl stated with a sigh, a slight embarrassed smile gracing her face. "Yes, I think that going and meeting with Steven at Funland is a wonderful idea."

"Well lets not wait then. Come on Pearl." I said, walking towards the door.

"Yes my Diamond." She replied, without the usual stutter. I stopped in front of the door, my hand hovering over the handle as it registered that PEARL had just said that. "I hope you don't mind if I refer to you as such, but... well-"

"It's okay Pearl." I interrupted, feeling a little awkward about the situation. "I don't mind you referring to me like that, as long as it's your decision and your comfortable with it. Just take the others comfort into mind as well, I know Garnet probably wouldn't take well too it."

'And it's weird for me as well, but you don't need to know that.' I thought as I turned around with a smile and gestured for her to follow me.

Pearl followed me outside the deck, a little embarrassed once again, seemingly her current mood for the day. She resolved herself though and smiled at me as we descended the steps of the beach house onto the sand.

"You know I never thought I would be anywhere near comfortable saying those words again." Pearl stated, giving me a sideward glance as we walked. I made sure I paid close attention to what she said. "The war for earth, even if it was you leading it... It sort of turned me against the thought of the Diamond authority. I still don't think much of them."

"That's fair." I stated, grabbing Pearl's attention. I turned to her as we walked past the Big Donut and onto the board walk. "My sisters are kind of galactic dictators, they're not very nice to anyone besides 'family'. Even then they're kind of butts. Well... Blue's okay, But I think that's just because emotions are her thing."

"Glad to see your view on them hasn't changed." Pearl replied as we walked through the board walk shops onto the street behind, and started making our way through the town to the Funland amusement park on the other side. "I was a bit worried that your views on them had changed since your... well resurrection I suppose. Also I asked Garnet and she said she's still looking into what might have happened to you to bring you back as you are."

"I appreciate the effort, It would be good to know what happened." I said honestly, the thought of my being here still confusing. I didn't regret being here though, I thought to myself as I gave Pearl a small smile. "Although if I don't know anything then I doubt she'll find anything either."

"You don't think it was those...shards you made? You know... when you told me not to tell anyone?" Pearl pondered, giving me a slightly worried look and a quick glance down at my gem. It was as if she was checking for cracks and I found myself feeling a tad uncomfortable.

"I honestly don't even remember how I made them, so I wouldn't know." I stated, not entirely lying. "Although it's something to think about, it's maybe some evidence we should keep secret. For now anyway."

"Yes. For now." Pearl replied, crossing the street with me and walking past the U Store It storage locker lot. I gave Greg's locker a quick look, everything had been hastily put back after the Red Eye clean up had taken too long.

"So you intend on telling them everything at some point then?"She added, sounding a little worried. Probably for good reason. "I'm not sure how Garnet would take it."

"There's still some things I know that everyone should know, but I want to have time to get to know myself and everyone else again before I share more." I stated, the serious and thoughtful expression on my face obviously worrying Pearl further.

"Things... That that I don't know? Still?" Pearl asked sadly. "I thought you trusted me..."

"I do Pearl, otherwise I wouldn't of told you I even have these secrets." I said back to cheer her up. She did perk up once I said that. "And I will let you know eventually, I'll definitely consult with you for the more... tender things. In my opinion my past self made some terrible errors that I want to right. I don't want them to be a burden to Steven, because he really is his mothers child." I added, thinking on Steven's 'Problem Solving' nature in the series.

"You know, even if you've lost all your memories you're still so much like your old self. And Steven's so like you as well, honestly you do make a good brother and sister." Pearl stated, sounding like a proud parent. "Although you could both learn to clean up after yourselves a bit better."

"Hey, I clean up after myself!" I replied defensively. "Name one thing unclean I've done today."

"Well when you shot that sand from the game back to the beach you didn't seem to notice or even think about the breeze blowing some of it back onto you." Pearl replied smugly, giving my hair an affectionate tussle and pat. Doing so shook loose a good few grains of sand I hadn't noticed before, and in reaction I started going a bit pink, well pink-er. "There's probably sand in the gutters on the roof now too." She added.

"That's two things 'My Diamond'." She added again playfully.

"Yeah, well... uhh sorry I guess." I said, still Pink. "I'll try to be a little more careful next time."

She giggled at my response and rubbed my head again. "Try not to worry about it, just try to have fun with what's here in front of us now." Pearl said, gesturing to the Funland sign as we passed underneath.

I smiled and ran inside the park with joy, looking forward to finding Steven and trying out some of the games he'd told me about here. I glanced around at all the different stalls and things to do as I made my way through at pace with Pearl close behind, her long legs easily keeping up with me.

My eyes stopped and went wide as I passed one of the stalls though, and I stopped in my tracks and slowly walked over to look at the prize I'd set my sight on. It was a simple plastic sword but the design of it was so beautiful.

"Must have it..." I found myself whispering as I stared lovingly at the new toy, before shaking my head to clear these thoughts away. "Wait what am I doing?"

"Pink, are you okay?" Pearl asked, a bit worried.

"I... maybe?" I replied, not being so sure myself. While the burst of childlike joy was fun it was unexpected and out of the blue, and not like the me I knew at all. Although a few of Pink Diamond's memories floating around in my head told me I was like this a long time ago. "It's something I need to think about, I don't think it's entirely memory stuff." I added as I walked away from the stall, but I made sure to keep the plastic swords design in mind for later.

"This has been happening quite often, are you sure it's fine?" Pearl asked as we continued our search for Steven and the other Gems. "We could take an afternoon to discuss what you think is going on."

"No, I... I think I've got it under control." I said, looking down at my hands. "But thanks Pearl, It's good to know you'll always have my back."

"Of course my Dia-"

"PINK! PEARL!" I was tackled from the side and couldn't help myself but laugh at the antics of Steven as he laughed in joy with me before looking between the two of us. "Garnet was right you two DID end up coming!"

"We couldn't stay away." I stated with a happy smile plastered onto my features, Steven had a way of doing that to people I'd found.

"Took you guys long enough, come on. Let's go get some CORN DAWGS!" Amethyst yelled, running towards the food stalls in the distance. "Last one there's a potato!"

'Maybe I could let myself be a kid, just for today.' I thought to myself as Steven smiled at me, I returned the smile and we picked ourselves up, racing after Amethyst towards the food stalls while grinning and laughing like maniacs.

* * *

"It's like she's a kid." Pearl said to Garnet, who stood watching the younger Gems play. "She's nothing like the Diamond we knew."

"We didn't know her, and we never will." Garnet responded.

Pearl flinched inwardly at the sentence, wanting to tell Garnet everything. But she knew it would break her right now.

"But 'this' Pink, This 'new' Diamond. They're still getting used to the world around them." Garnet continued, a small smile coming to her face as she saw Pink pick up Steven after he fell over in his haste. "It may be hard for us, and for her too. But we have to guide her down the right path, like we are for Steven. They'll both need our help in the future."

"But... how will we know what to expect?" Pearl asked, some of her worry for the small pink Diamond in front of her bleeding through into her voice. "We at least had Greg's help with raising Steven until he was old enough, we can't do this blindly. What if we fail?"

"As long as we're there for her when she needs us, we won't." Garnet stated, walking towards the little troublemakers as they tried to convince the stall maker to give them free food. "They need us Pearl."

"Then lets not disappoint them." Pearl said with a soft smile, looking fondly at Pink and Steven. Until they ran off with Amethyst who'd stolen a hand full of corn dogs. "Amethyst! GET BACK HERE YOU THREE!"

Garnet smiled softly as well while looking at Pearl dash away before following after her, The time Pearl had spent with Pink had obviously been good for the both of them.

Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

A/N And a swift return to somewhat standard chapter size for now.

This is my first chapter I've posted since I've read all the reviews and MY GOD am I happy about how well you all seem to like this!

The uploading schedule for this should be about once a week or more if I'm on a roll, oh. and make sure to leave a review so I know what I need to improve on and what you all like so far!

Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Growing Closer

* * *

"Ugh, we've looked ev-er-y-where Pearl!" Amethyst complained as we defeatedly walked back to the temple along the beach. "They're just earthquakes."

"I don't think they are earthquakes." Pearl replied, not satisfied with the explanation.

"She's got a point, they wou-" My addition to the conversation was interrupted as Steven ran towards us, chasing a new bicycle he'd obviously gotten somewhere before it fell onto the sand in front of us.

"Hey look! Steven's got a bike!" Amethyst, stated, blatantly changing the topic. "Where're you goin' Steven?" She added, somewhat curious now that she looked past the bike as a useful distraction from the previous conversation.

"Just out for a ride!" Steven exclaimed, a big smile on his face.

"In the sand?" Pearl asked, a tad confused.

"Yup!" Steven replied with another smile, wheeling his bike away from us further down the beach.

To be honest I was a bit confused as well, it wasn't like Steven to just go and do something silly...nope this was completely normal. Honestly after I'd seen Steven command a small troop of his clothes after Pearl lost one of her drone shards a week or two back 'Strange Steven' seemed to become a bit of the norm. This felt strangely familiar though, was it from another episode I wasn't remembering?

"Well that was odd." I stated, as all four of us nodding our heads in agreement before we turned back to the house and started making our way inside. "But still, those tremors are worrying. The last time we felt something like that was when that corrupted Nephrite attacked us about a month ago."

"Don't worry about the tremors." Garnet stated, adjusting her glasses a tad. "They'll be gone by the days end."

"Oh good, I was starting to worry about them." Pearl said in reply as we made our way into the front room. I made sure to shut the screen door behind me as we made our way into the kitchen. "That, gives us a bit more time to think about what Steven's up too."

"Yeah, he was acting a bit weird." Amethyst stated, walking back towards the window and looking outside. "Hey! I can see Steven." She added, beckoning us to the window. "He's talking to a 'giiirl'."

"Really?" Pearl asked excitedly, rushing to the window to see for herself.

"I'll be over in a second, just setting up some tea." I said to the Gems as they hovered around the window, to be honest I was curious as well... at least I was, until I remembered how he'd met Connie.

I thought about interfering with Steven's day to make it a bit 'safer' while I poured hot water from the kettle into the teapot Pearl had stored in the cupboard, along with the some tea leaves I'd bought in town with some of Pearl's money. But I came to the conclusion that it would be better for Steven to build up a bit of his confidence this way.

We all heard an awkward scream and the plip-plap of Steven's thongs as he made his way up the stairs of the beach house before running inside and closing the door behind him, a slight blush to his cheeks. He took deep breaths to recover from the sprint he'd just done before he noticed the Gems standing next to him, staring at him. I waved from the kitchen.

"Uh... What up?" Steven said more than asked, obviously still feeling a little awkward.

"Who were you talking too?" Pearl asked, barely hiding her grin behind a regular smile.

"Huh?"

"That girl." Garnet replied to Steven, getting straight to the point.

"You saw?" Steven exclaimed in response, his cheeks tingeing pink in embarrassment again. "Oh, uh she's just a girl I know. Except she doesn't know me... we've never talked." Steven admitted, a little sullenly.

"You like her!" Amethyst stated with an audible gasp of excitement, rushing over and squishing Steven's face between her hands. "That's so cute!"

"Uhhh, I like everyone." Steven stated as a reply through his squished cheeks, pushing away Amethyst's hands with a smile.

We all heard Pearl gasp in excitement as well as she could no longer hold back her joyful grin "Oooh we'll have to set up a play-date! I'll write up an invitation and set up a schedule... Oh! And Pink and I can find out what sort of tea she likes!"

"No." Garnet stated, pushing into the revelling of Stevens new friend. "Just talk to her."

"Okay." Steven replied, his face scrunching up a bit "But you guys can't watch this time! It'll mess up my funky flow!"

"Funky...Flow?" Amethyst and Pearl repeated, a little perplexed.

"We won't watch." Garnet reassured Steven, who smiled back before turning to me.

"Hey sis, you think you could grab me that glowing bracelet from the freezer?" Steven asked, running up to the counter.

"Sure bro." I replied with a smile, turning around and doing just that. I handed it to him with a smile and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, you're a Funk Master."

"Yeah!" Steven exclaimed with a wide smile. "Funk Master, away!" He added with an enthusiastic yell as he ran back outside, giggling his excitement all the while.

"What was that?" Amethyst asked as Steven left, gesturing to the bracelet.

"I think humans use them at parties to liven the mood." I responded, grabbing the teapot and pouring myself a cup. "Kids love them apparently. You guys want some tea?"

"Sure, I'm kind of hungry." Amethyst stated, walking up to the bench as I poured out another cup. Once I was done pouring, to my horror she just ate the cup with the tea in it. Again. "Ahhh, pointy."

"Amethyst! That's the third cup this week!" Pearl yelled, walking over to her.

"It doesn't matter we can just buy some more." I heard Amethyst say as I walked around them to the couch, trying to defend herself.

I tuned out the conversation and put some headphones on and sat on the couch, listening to some music I'd put together from what bands were actually still a thing in this new Earth. I hummed a bit to Queen's 'Under Pressure' and sipped my tea, thanking whatever god was available that at least Queen was still a thing here.

On that thought I looked over my teacup at Pearl and Amethyst fighting again over something so small, at least in my opinion. I had to thank Pearl though. Since our conversation about how I wasn't ready for the kind of relationship she had wanted she'd still been kind but in a different way, sort of treating herself as my mother in stead of the lover as she had been with Rose and the previous Pink.

That was another thing, I continued to think to myself as I watched Garnet leave the room. I could sympathise, it wasn't easy watching family fight like this. But that was what we were I'd found, and being part of this family was a role I'd easily slipped into. With a smile I looked back to my tea and took a sip.

"Hey Pinky." Amethyst said, grabbing my attention and making me nearly spill my tea all over myself at the sudden appearance.

"Y-Yeah?" I replied, taking my headphones off so I could hear what she wanted.

"I was gonna head down to the Arcade and eat frybits while watching all the pretty colours, You in?" She asked, a big smile on her face.

"I don't know so much about watching the colours, but sure. I could go for trying out a few of those games." I said, with a smile my head turning towards Pearl. "Hey Pearl, did you want to come? And even if you don't could I have a few dollars worth of quarters?"

"No, there's some things around the house and the temple that need looking after with these tremors still happening." Pearl stated, but smiled at me anyway and her Gem glowed as she reached towards it and pulled out a small bag of quarters. "But feel free to go have some fun yourself. DO try and keep Amethyst out of trouble will you?"

"I can do that myself you know." Amethyst stated angrily, storming out of the house.

"I better go and catch up with her, see you later Pearl!" I said, leaving my teacup on the table empty before grabbing the quarters and running after Amethyst. I could hear Pearl behind me grumbling under her breath about how 'impulsive' Amethyst was.

It took me a minute or two of running along the sand before I caught up with a still simmering Amethyst, who turned to me as I started walking next to her.

"What's her DEAL?" Amethyst asked angrily, gesturing wildly. "_Oh Amethyst you can't eat that! Not only is it simply not done but looking at the perfect collection makes me feel better. _Honestly if we weren't meant to eat teacups then why are they so crunchy?"

I gave a little giggle at Amethysts depiction of Pearl and her own little rant before replying "It was made for humans, and humans insides generally don't like sharp pointy things in them. I think an exception can be made on your behalf if they taste that good though Amethyst, Coffee cups at least are cheap as chips these days."

"That's what I said!" Amethyst replied to me with a little frustration as we passed by the big donut, though I could tell she was feeling better now that she had someone who agreed with her a bit. "Now come on P, lets go look at some pretty lights!"

"You do know that there's more to that place than just the pretty lights right?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"What'dya mean?" Amethyst asked as we passed by the fry shop, before she raised her eyebrows and went back, demanding some fry bits while banging her fists on the counter.

"Those lights are from electronic game machines on the inside, you use quarters to play them." I stated, grabbing her attention. "Some of them let you win tickets you can spend on prizes."

"Sounds cool, kind of wish I'd thought about going in there myself before right now." Amethyst replied, grabbing her fry bits and leaving as they were brought to the counter. I followed after her after I'd thanked Fryman for his patience.

"So what game do you like from here?" Amethyst asked while munching on some fry bits.

"I like the Guitar Legend game, it lets you play songs without having to learn how to play an actual guitar." I said with a smile, memories of a VERY similar game from my previous life coming to the forefront of my mind. "I'm pretty good at it."

"Really? Sounds cool, you can show me how to play!" Amethyst stated in excitement.

We finally made our way to the Funland Arcade and Amethyst shoved the rest of her fry bits in the bin outside as we moved in. I weaved us through the crowd and stopped in front of the arcade game in question with a smile.

I hadn't hoped to find something akin to any of the games I'd enjoyed on this version of earth either but apparently Guitar Hero had an iteration that was fairly similar, and that was good enough for me. It was just a plus that some of the songs were recognisable as well.

"Sweet!" Amethyst yelled with excitement, dashing forward and grabbing the only guitar available, dancing around with it while pressing the buttons on the fret board while strumming. She quickly got frustrated as nothing happened on screen though. "Heeeey what gives?"

"You've got to put the coin in first." I said with a smile, looking forward to seeing how Amethyst would do. I moved forward in front of her and slotted one of my quarters into the machine and then backed up, my smile grew as I saw Amethyst's face light up as the game 'spoke' to her.

"_**ARE YOU READY TO BECOME A GUITAR LEGEND?**_" It said as it loaded up, asking her what difficulty she wanted to play at.

"Yes..." I heard Amethyst whisper before playing with the buttons a bit and selecting medium difficulty by accident. "So uhh, how do I control this?" She asked looking towards me for help.

"You use the strum button where the strings would be to go up and down on the menu." I started, in response she did so while selecting a song to play and her eyes lit up again as the highlighted song changed and a different song started playing in the background. "And you use the green button to pick yes and the red one for no, or go back." I added, and she nodded her thanks as she started cycling through the song list until she found something she liked.

"So to actually play the song once it starts, you need to hold down the right coloured button and then go up or down with the strum bar." I said as she picked the song and it started loading up. "You got this?"

"Don't worry Pinky, I'm gonna be a **LEGEND.**" Amethyst stated proudly with stars in her eyes, fist raised to the sky.

The song soon started and I wasn't too surprised by the choice, what I WAS surprised by was how well Amethyst seemed to be playing.

"_Oh We're not gonna take it, NO! We ain't gonna take it. We're not gonna take it, ANYMORE!" _The song sung, only getting interrupted a few times by Amethyst missing the first few notes before finding a groove.

I leant back against a nearby machine and watched with a happy smile as Amethyst rocked out, hitting almost every note and really getting into the song. The solo came along and Amethyst turned the neck of the guitar skywards, turning on the star power mode which made the game audience clap along to the beat. As I usually do I ended up tapping my foot to the beat of the song as well., a smile on my face as I watched Amethyst get into the rhythm of the music.

"_Oh We're right. And we're FREE. And we'll FIGHT. You'l SEEEEEEEE Ohwoah We're not gonna take it, NO WE ain't gonna take it! We're not gonna take it anymore!"_ The song sung, nearing it's ending.

Once it was done Amethyst brought up the guitar, about to smash it on the ground. Acting more out of instinct than anything else I rushed forwards and grabbed the guitar as it made it's way down, breathing out a sigh of relief when I realised it was still intact.

"Oops, sorry Pink. Guess I got a bit too much into that one huh?" Amethyst said apologetically as she let go of the Guitar and backed up a bit, a slight blush of embarrassment tinged her cheeks purple. "I guess I should go find some other game I'm not going to accidentally destroy..."

"Why? You know not to do it now right?" I asked simply, giving her a curious look. "Besides, Pearl asked me to keep an eye on you. And where better than while playing this with me?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Amethyst stated with a small smile of her own, before it grew into a smirk. "But 'I' Get to pick the songs."

"Of course my Quartz." I joking replied with a diamond salute and a bow, which got Amethyst grinning.

"Is that what the salute looks like? It's ridiculous." She continued with a chuckle. "Now come on, lets play some songs."

* * *

"You know you didn't have to get this for me." I said to Amethyst as I cuddled a pink rabbit plush that she'd used most of the tickets on closer to my chest, it was SHO FLOOFY. "I mean I love it but you didn't have too."

"Think of it as payment for showing me how a true **LEGEND** rocks out." Amethyst replied, the shifting of the sand underneath our shoes telling us we were almost home. "How did you get so good at that game anyway? There's no way that you've only been playing for a few weeks."

"I just really get into the music, as you probably noticed I'm a lot better at some songs." I stated, a proud smile on my face as I hugged my rabbit closer to me. "I think I'm going to call him Monty."

"Monty? That's a silly name for a rabbit." Amethyst said with a slight chuckle, her eyes trailing up towards the direction of the temple/beach house. "Do you think Pearl is still cleaning the house?"

"It wouldn't surpr-" I was interuppted by a loud ***SCREEEEECH*** And the ground shook underneath us. "That came from the old docks!" I shouted, starting to run that way.

We were met halfway there by Garnet and Pearl who gave us nods as we matched their strides, Pearl took a good long look at the rabbit though a bit of confusion on her face. Another screech broke her focus on Monty though and we all picked up the pace, seeing Steven up ahead being chased underneath the docks by a huge worm like corrupted Gem.

Steven slid to a stop up ahead of us next to Connie and we next saw the docks break and fall on the worm, poofing it in a small explosion.

"STEVEN!" We all yelled in unison, worried he might have been injured in the fight.

We stopped in front of them and were relieved to see that he was fine.

"Steven! What's going on?! What did you do?!" Pearl asked in a panic. I raised an eyebrow in her direction confused, had she not just seen what happened?

"He was INCREDIBLE!" Connie stated, stars in her eyes. The smile on her face stretched from ear to ear.

"R-Really? You mean it?" Steven asked her, getting a smile and a sincere nod in reply. "Oh, Here's your bracelet. Again."

Garnet took the initiative in this situation and walked forwards as the gem from the monster rolled out of the debris, and bubbled it before sending it back to the temple.

"Soooo, are you goin' to introduce us?" Amethyst asked as we approached, a big grin on her face.

"Steven was so excited to meet you, weren't you Steven?" Pearl stated more than asked, a playful yet genuine smile on her face as well. A blush quickly grew on Steven's face as the amount of awkward turned up a notch. Steven nodded simply with a slight nervous giggle as an answer before Garnet pulled the two of them away.

"Stop it you two, you're messing with his funky flow." Garnet chided, picking them up and walking away. Oh if only she knew how much damage she'd just caused.

"Funky... flow?" Connie asked, a bit confused. Steven's nervousness peaked as he moaned a bit in distress. It was time to step in.

"Hi, I'm Steven's sister. It's a pleasure to meet you." I said, walking forward and offering my hand. I shifted Monty underneath my other arm.

"Oh! A pleasure to meet you too." Connie replied with a smile, Steven himself let out a breath he had been holding and looked a bit more relaxed. Although the previous nervousness had only slightly dissipated. "I like your rabbit."

"Thanks, his name is Monty. I just got him today." I replied with a smile, I turned to Steven who obviously had some questions. "Amethyst and I were bored so we went to the Arcade, we had enough tickets to get this."

"Oh cool, That's where I got M.C Bear Bear." Steven stated, his previous nervousness forgotten. "Hey Connie, did you want to come over and see him? I'm sure he'd like to meet you!" Steven added, turning to Connie with a hopeful smile.

"Oh, sorry Steven but it's actually pretty late." Connie replied, looking up at the sky for reference. It was already dark. "I should go find my Mom and Dad, they're probably worried sick. It was fun meeting you though, I'll ask my Dad if I can come back so I can play with you some more."

"That'd be great!" Steven stated with a big smile, I nodded in agreement.

"Any friend of Steven's is a friend of mine." I added.

"Cool, see you again later!" She said, walking away with a wave until she was out of sight. The big grin on her face told me she'd had a good time, despite everything I remember happening in that- or this I suppose, episode.

"Thanks for the save back there Sis." Steven stated with a smile and a hug. "I had NO idea what to say."

"Even the Funk Master needs help sometimes." I replied, hugging him back. "Now come on, since Pearl knows where you are now she's probably either making or re-heating your dinner."

"Yeah! Food!" Steven yelled in excitement, running back to the house and dragging me along.

I had a big grin on my face as we ran home, Monty tucked close to my chest. This had been a good day. Steven found his future girlfriend and everything had turned out just like in the episode for them. Not only that but I'd gotten a little closer with Amethyst and I think she liked me a bit more as well. We were getting closer as a family, and I found my smile softening at the thought.

When I first got here I was wondering whether I'd ever have somewhere to belong, but now? I think it's here, With my family.

* * *

A/N

Another chapter down, a lot more to go! As you could've probably noticed I skipped a few episodes getting here. I think that's what I'll be doing to shorten the Story down a bit and trim down anything I think as 'irrelevant', Then again I did just write a chapter about Pink and Amethyst playing Guitar Hero...

As always let me know what you thought about the Chapter in a review below, and I'll see you within the next week with a new update! Stay tuned for more!


	8. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Understanding

* * *

The sun beat down on us as our feet trod across the hot sand underneath us, but we weren't effected by the heat. Gem's didn't really feel temperature the same way as organics I'd found.

"Water..." Steven mumbled behind us a few steps, falling to a crawl. "Sooo... thirsty..."

"You know, I 'did' bring some water." I stated, looking down at Steven. As he clawed his way forwards.

"It would be a lot safer if you stood up and walked as well." Pearl added, a little confused at his antics.

"You don't...understand..." Steven pretended to force out as real sweat dripped off of him onto the sand. "This... is how... you're supposed to act... in the desert..." With what sounded like actual fatigue he pulled himself to his feet and asked "Is this... the place?"

"Yes Steven." Garnet answered, looking out onto a landscape dotted with rising and falling pillars. Structures breaking and forming every so often. "The power in this structure has turned aimless."

"It's building columns with no roofs, stairs that go nowhere." Pearl stated as she surveyed the desert palace in front of us. "This is out of control!"

"Then I guess we better-" Amethyst said, jumping over Steven's head before rolling down a sand dune ahead of us. "Roll on over there."

"That was a bit unnecessary." Pearl stated, unimpressed while Amethyst chuckled a bit at her own pun. Amethyst mumbled some nonsense under her breath that Pearl probably misheard in reply. "Excuse me?" Pearl asked with a bit of aggravation in her voice.

A loud growl permeated the air around us, breaking up the oncoming argument. I didn't know whether or not I should be looking forward to this...

"Did you guys hear that?" Steven asked with fear in his voice.

"Let's Go!" Amethyst stated, rushing ahead as a response to the growling. Pearl complained again about Amethyst's compulsiveness and then followed quickly after.

"It'd be best if you stay here Steven." Garnet said, going to move forward. She stopped though and turned to stare at me... an uncomfortably long stare at that. She adjusted her glasses.

"But-but what if something eats me?" Steven asked with more terror than fear now.

Garnet seemed to nod to herself before looking between Steven and I. "Don't worry, You're sister is going to stay here and protect you, besides that. There's nothing here that can harm you."

"Okay." Steven replied, feeling a little better.

I gave Garnet a smile and a thumbs up, and she smiled back. She turned around and walked after Pearl, using her long legs to catch up with them after a few long strides. I turned and saw Steven had retreated into the shade of one of the pillars nearby and went to join him, plopping down onto the sand next to him.

"Ugggh It's sooooo... Desert..." Steven complained, bringing his sweaty shirt up onto his head. It seemed to do its job cooling him down, as he sighed contently and sagged down the pillar.

"You okay?" I asked, a little concerned. "I'm not sure humans are supposed to be in heat for this long."

His response was interrupted when we both heard a low growl again. Steven whimpered a bit and lifted his shirt so he could see, while I kept most of my cool.I knew we'd run into 'Lion' eventually and thought that considering we both had a Pink Diamond gem that he wouldn't be hostile, so it was that when I spotted the shaded figure of a pink lion behind a nearby pillar staring us down I wasn't entirely afraid. I wasn't entirely right either.

Steven squealed as the Lion approached, huddling behind me. He poked his head out to watch with fear as the Lion grew closer and closer.

"It's okay Steven, I'm here." I stated, reaching under my shoulder and patting him on the head to comfort him. I turned back around and stared into the glowing eyes of the Lion who seemed to examine both I and Steven separately.

It's gaze bore into me as it moved closer, and I stood stock still. To be honest in those opening moments I was terrified, this was no house cat and that's about the largest feline I'd seen until now. It proceeded to sniff at me, the action scaring Steven even further behind me. It made it's way down to my Gem and I grew very nervous as it sniffed at that too.

"Uhhh... Hi buddy...Been a while..." I said out loud nervously. In response the Lion drew it's head back up to my face and squinted at me. Strangely I got the feeling that it didn't believe I was who I was insinuating I am, that being Rose. Was this Lion intelligent? Did the revival process change that in animals?

"Do you know this Lion?" Steven asked hesitantly as he looked out from behind my back, he shrunk a bit as it turned it's look towards him. "Is he friendly?"

"I don't remember, but he's not attacked us yet." I said, treading very cautious ground when it came to information about lion.

To both our relief the Lion yawned and simply collapsed in front of us, seemingly not considered us threats.

"Huh." Steven said, curiously moving out from behind me. I let him pass but kept an eye on what the lion was doing, just in case things happened differently from the show.

Steven crept closer, flinching as the lions ear flicked away a bit of sand that had gotten into it's fur. There was a tense moment I remembered from the show as the lion lifted it's head and stared at Steven as he approached, it's eyes occasionally flicked back to me but moved back to Steven as he drew closer.

Finally Steven's hand reached the Lions muzzle. Steven hesitated a bit when his hand contacted fur, but Lion met him halfway, nuzzling into the hand. Steven chuckled a bit as he pet the Lion and my smile grew wide to see Steven connect with something 'lost' of his mothers... Of mine?

My head hurt at the thought but I stayed sure of my sense of self, my sight meeting with the Lion's again, who himself seemed to be enjoying his petting courtesy of Steven.

"Aww you just wanted attention, Didn't yooou, Didn't yooooooou." Steven stated with a big smile as he continued to pet the Lion. "Your mane, it's sooo soft. Hey, why don't you come over and say Hi?" Steven added, looking in my direction with a smile.

"Oh... uh, sure I guess." I replied, a little nervous as I got up and walked over to the Lion. His stare seemed to intensify as I got closer, although it looked back at Steven and the beasts gaze softened a bit before looking back at me. The fire in it's look seemingly tones down a bit.

Hesitantly I reached forward with my hand as Steven did towards it's muzzle, I flinched a bit when I made contact and I felt the Lion stiffen as I did. But I kept my hand there and started to move it back and forth along its head, patting it like a cat. Just a really big one.

"Cool." I stated simply in amazement, once my fear was gone. I was sure there were Diamonds in my eyes as I continued to pat the Lion, in awe of how awesome this was.

"So, you from around here?" Steven asked as he climbed onto the lion, I continued my petting as he did so. The tension seemed to dissipate from the air as everything simply went on, the lion letting us pet and play with it, it was simply magical. "We're just here on business. Also, I really like your Pink fur, you're like the cotton candy of the jungle!"

I laughed a bit at Steven's joke and pulled my hand back from the lion and sat it back into my lap, just content to be next to it now. "I wonder what you've been doing out here all this time?" I asked non chalantly.

The Lion gave me a look to suggest that it thought the same of me, it's sight going up to Steven for a second as he climbed his back before looking back down at me. "It's a long story..." I muttered under my breath, knowing the Lion would hear it but Steven would struggle to.

"Ya' know, I've always wanted an animal friend." Steven stated from the top of Lions back, distracting us from our 'conversation'. "But I thought it would be like... a goldfish. Or a Dinosaur!"

I chuckled a good bit at the thought of Steven riding a Dinosaur into town to get some donuts, or for whatever reason really. Steven quickly joined in once he heard me laughing with a smile.

"I guess fate has other things in store for you, huh?" I said, kind of stealing Steven's line from the show.

In response to that Lion leant forward and ran his tongue against my face, giving it a good long lick while Steven laughed. "Aww, I think he likes you!"

"I love you too buddy." I replied with a small smile and one eye closed, trying to keep the slobber out of it.

An explosion out in the distance alerted me as I saw sand racing towards us from the epicentre where the sand castle had been. As a reaction I quickly covered us with my shield, only a small amount of sand getting through and hitting us. Thankfully the sand quickly settled and we could see and hear the Gems quickly approaching.

"Ah The others are coming!" Steven exclaimed. "Quick! Put my head in your mouth!"

"Wait what?" I asked, a really confused expression on my face as I turned towards Steven. It got even weirder as he started playing with Lions lips.

"STEVEN!" We heard the other Gems yell in horror and confusion. With a flash each of them had their weapons summoned to their hands prepared for combat. "What IS that?! What are you doing?! Wait..." Pearl added, before looking at the creature with her eyes going wide.

She quickly looked at me for an explanation but was interrupted by Steven.

"Stop! It's okay!" Steven yelled as he panicked. "Look! He's totally tame."

"I-I believe you Steven." Pearl replied hesitantly, sending subtle glances in my direction. "Just please keep your hands out of that things mouth, It's not sanitary."

"Okay." Steven replied, sticking his hands in his pockets for emphasis.

"So that's the Desert Glass then?" I asked, curious about the small round aqua and turquoise gem on a velvet red pillow.

"Yes, and we have to get it OUT of the DESERT." Pearl stated, making a swipe for it. Amethyst saw this coming though and simply pulled it away.

"I told you, my kill. My keep." Amethyst said smugly. "I'll bubble it later when I'm done with it."

"Let's go Steven." Garnet said as she walked away back towards the warp pad, the others followed quickly behind.

With a sigh of disappointment I got up from my sitting position and walked towards lion, petting him on the face again as Steven gave him a big hug.

"Oh lion, I really wish you could come with us. I feel like you really 'get' me." Steven said, his eyes full and bright.

"Don't worry Steven, he's by a warp pad so we can come see him whenever we want." I stated, a hand on his shoulder as he pulled himself away from Lion's very soft mane. "Now say your goodbyes, the others are waiting for us."

"Goodbye Lion... I hope we will meet each other once again!" Steven said with a dramatic flair, a single tear falling from one eye. "I must go now, for parting is such sweet goodbyes."

I smiled a bit at Steven's antics and gave Lion a nod as goodbye as we turned away back towards the pad, soon catching up with the others.

"-Exactly what to do with it." Amethyst finished as we walked up and stepped on the pad. She gave Steven a smile and added "Heeeey Steveeen, wanna build a pillow fort?"

"Do I?!" Steven exclaimed after a gasp of excitement, stars in his eyes.

I was distracted from their conversation though as Pearl gave me a quick glance. I knew we were going to have a talk after this.

The warp stream lead us to the temple and we gracefully touched down, Amethyst and Steven running off to build their fort. Garnet walked off into her own room, leaving Pearl and I on the warp pad.

"So...The Lion." I said awkwardly. In response I Pearl ushered me into her room, looking behind her at Steven to check whether he was watching. Luckily he seemed to be more focused setting up a pillow fort with Amethyst.

Once we were in the room Pearl let out a sigh and looked down at me.

"Did you know that... Thing was there?" She asked pointedly, a little frustration evident on her face. "It could have hurt him!"

"It wasn't going to harm him, he has his mothers gem." I responded. "Besides that I was there to protect him if it came down to it. Honestly it seemed to like Steven more than me."

"I don't care what it likes or doesn't like, I need to know more about it." Pearl stated, bending down a bit and grabbing me by the shoulders. "You must know right? You said it was roses lion and you have most of Roses memories."

"Some. Some of her memories, and I'll be glad to share them with you if you'd like me too." I said, bringing my hands up to hers and lifting them off my shoulders. "Just... try not to be so forceful about it, it makes me uncomfortable."

"Of course, I'm sorry My Diamond." Pearl replied with a salute and an embarrassed smile. "I just...want to know more about her. Since our conversation on the beach I've had time to think, and I've come to the conclusion that maybe I didn't know Rose that well. I was too in love with the idea of her to really know who she was."

"How about we go somewhere nice and have a chat about it?" I suggested, getting an idea. "I've been meaning to test this anyway but didn't know how. Is there a way to Roses room in here?"

"It figures that THAT would be one of the things you can't remember." Pearl stated walking onto the flowing water in her room and reaching out a hand. "My room can be accessed from Roses room and all the other rooms, and vice verca. You just need to know where to go."

I accepted the hand with a smile and stepped onto the water. We quickly sunk into the water and were rushed through a current the seemed to shift and weave through our surroundings, soon we were spat out of the stream and were falling from the roof.

In a slight panic I tried to stop myself from falling and accidentally activated my floating powers for the first time, the shock made Pearl squeal a bit as I'd kept my grip on her so she was now dangling from me as we slowly floated down.

"Sorry, I'll try and get us down." I stated, focusing on getting us down a little quicker yet safer. It worked somewhat and soon we were down on the floor, I released my grip on Pearls hand and she gave me a small smile.

"Sometimes I forget that you're rediscovering your powers too, even if you do have an advantage on Steven being a full gem." Pearl said as I walked a bit around the pink clouds covering the floor of the room.

"So how does the room work exactly? Do I just think about what I want?" I asked, looking back at Pearl curiously.

"It reads your gem to discover a certain theme you enjoy, and then yes. Will make objects, places and even people based upon your memories." Pearl explained, gesturing around the room as she did so.

"Oh... Uhhh, a theme?" I thought to myself, recalling all the dreams I've had of home world. I silently hoped that the room wouldn't pick that as a theme just because of the awkwardness it might make with Pearl, or later on Steven. "Okay, a table and chairs should be simple enough."

Almost like it heard my wishes and decided to shit on them a small Pink throne was poofed into existence by the clouds around us, followed by a crystalline table and a similarly crystalline chair that seemed a bit more common if my memories of home world were accurate.

"Y-Yay... It worked!..." I stated, feeling the stare coming from Pearl as I nonchalantly went and sat down on my 'throne'. "If it helps at all Pearl I didn't exactly have this in mind, when I thought of a living room."

As I said that a room formed around us, just as crystalline as the chairs and table but in different colours and hues, most of them Pink but with some blue and Yellow mixed in. When everything was said and done it looked more like a human living room if a home world Diamond had designed it, and I suppose in a way I had.

"It's fine, it should have been obvious that you were more Pink than Rose." Pearl said as she sat down on the other seat at the table, continuing to look around. "And you obviously have a lot of memories from home world with this décor the way it is."

She stopped her speech as she laid eyes on a portrait I didn't even realise was on the wall, a picture of White, Blue, yellow and I at Blue's pool all smiling and talking to each other. I could feel a blush grow on my face at the embarrassment of those thoughts making their way into the room.

"I don't know why I never even thought to ask, seeing as you're not really Rose but..." Pearl started, looking a bit conflicted as she looked me in the eyes. Searching. "Do you... Miss them?"

"I... I don't know." I responded, looking at the Picture on the wall which had started this line of questioning. "I guess in some way I do, I have good memories of them. And they're family, not like you guys are but... more distant I suppose. I feel like I want to know and understand them, and for them to know and understand me. Is that... is that bad?"

"Of course not." Pearl said tenderly, getting up from her seat and reaching forward, wiping a tear I didn't even know I was shedding from my eye. "In a way they are your family just like we are. But the Pink I knew was trying to do the same thing as well, but because of... certain reasons they simply couldn't know her for her."

"I know... I remember, but if I'm different. If I'm 'New', Shouldn't I at least try to know them?" I replied, looking Pearl in the eyes. "I would never betray you to the Diamonds or any home world Gems, you can trust me with that. But I'm not certain on whether or not I'd want to fight any of them either, they're just doing what they think is the right thing to do."

"If you want to, I could go over some of the things I know as well." Pearl suggested, a slight smile on her face. "You know, it feels strangely comforting, being surrounded by home world architecture again."

"I know, it almost feels like ~_Home~_." I said, Pearl saying Home at the same time as me. I gave her a pleasant smile and turned to her. "Well then, What did you want to know?"

*OBVIOUS TIME SKIP*

In the middle of conversation the room around us shook and we gripped tightly onto our chairs, a look was shared between us and I dashed for exit of the room. From memories not my own I knew the door would simply open in front of me if I wanted to go out, so we came out of the temple, a few feet Behind Garnet who was already ahead of us outside the door.

Pearl rushed past me and opened the door for me, which I barrelled through. I caught the railing, stopping myself mid-run and looked out at the sand structures starting to form on the beach in front of us.

"Steven!" Pearl yelled out in fear as she looked down at the boy on the beach, pillars of sand in brick rising before him. "The desert glass!" Pearl concluded, turning to Amethyst who had just come out of the house with a tired expression. "Why didn't you BUBBLE IT?!"

"Eh, welcome to shrug city P." Amethyst replied with a shrug.

"Don't move we're coming!" Pearl yelled at Steven.

Taking a few steps back I dashed past Pearl before she could react and leapt into the air, using my new floating power to sustain my flight.

"Pink! What are you doing?!" I heard Pearl exclaim from below, worry drowning her voice.

I didn't respond as I made my way towards the desert glass as it ascended towards me. I'd timed my jump well, and hovered above the Gem on a pillow, I wasn't close enough to bubble it properly, but with a quick toss I threw my freshly conjured shield at it.

The desert glass must of felt it coming as it built a layer of sand over itself. I don't think it expected me to drop onto my shield though, quickly grabbing it and changing it form into a large sphere around the desert glass.

As I finished the globe all of the sand that wasn't in the bubble started to drop, cut of from the gem. Carefully I floated back down to the beach with it in hand, focusing hard on expelling sand from my 'shield bubble' until only a few grains were left inside with the desert glass.

I let out a sigh of relief as the other Gems rushed over, Steven included.

"That was amazing!" Steven exclaimed, riding the back of Lion.

'When did that happen?' I thought with confusion, knowing that Lion would've shown up eventually. 'I guess I missed something.'

"Yeah Pink you were so cool! Your were all floating above it and stuff! And then you threw you shield at it like WHAM!" Amethyst exclaimed with a big smile.

"Yes, floating." Garnet stated, staring at me for a few seconds. "Rose quartz could also control her descent in much the same way." She added, not taking her eyes off of me.

"Wait, mom could do that?" Steven asked, a little confused.

"Yes Steven, your mother had many powers." Pearl stated, walking over and reaching up to Steven atop Lion. "One day maybe you too will have Powers, maybe when you figure out how to reliably summon your shield?"

"But I already can do that." Steven said confidently, summoning his shield with a bit of effort and a smile, before it fizzled away. "Awww maaaan..."

"You'll get it eventually bro." I stated, dropping my shield and bubbling the desert glass. My first bubble, I tapped the top and sent it home. I gave Garnet a quick look as I thought about where it might end up, but I was pretty sure it would end up in the temple. And not somewhere on home world.

"Come on, let's head back inside I'm missin out on some zeeee's." Amethyst said with a yawn, turning away and walking towards the temple. Most of the Gems followed quickly after.

I went to join them when a hand rested on my shoulder, stopping me from moving forward. I looked up to see Garnet looking up at the others, waiting until they were a bit of a distance away before she muttered down to me "I trust you, I do. You've proven yourself as a Crystal Gem and more importantly as a part of this family. But you, the 'new' Pink Diamond now have two of the powers Rose Quartz had. I would appreciate it if you could tell me everything of what is going on, if you know."

My face hardened at the pointed questioning, looking towards the other gems I wished that they'd turn around to stop this. But I steeled myself as they kept walking away and turned to Garnet.

"I can't tell you everything about myself because I don't know everything yet, but I wont lie." I said, looking at her eyes through her glasses. "This does have to do with Rose Quartz, as well as Pink Diamond. The old Pink's memories tell me that she had all the same powers as Rose Quartz and a bit more. I'm not sure how much more I should tell you right now, it could be pretty damaging."

"You don't say..." Garnet stated, interrupting me. She let out a ragged sigh after a few second before leaning down to my level, hand back on my shoulder. "I understand keeping this information from us if you believe it will harm us, and I'm not ignorant on this. You believe it will. I won't force you to say anything you don't want to, as long as you promise that you'll tell us eventually."

"I promise." I said, a smile up towards Garnet as I rushed forward and gave her a hug. "Thank's for being understanding. I don't like keeping secrets from you guys."

"I understand, now come on. You wouldn't want to miss dinner with Steven, I'm sure Pearl is already brewing your tea." Garnet stated with a smile as we walked off towards the temple.

As we did I felt a strong sense of...was that, love? It was a warmth under my skin, and it made me smile. A genuine one. With a quick giggle I looked up to Garnet and told her I'd race her back before running back to the temple with glee. I was glad to have such an understanding family 

* * *

A/N Wow, this one was a bit of a pain to get out. Still, hope you all enjoyed and are looking forward to the next one. Things are starting to get COMPLICATED!


	9. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 The Mirror Gem

* * *

"Checkmate." Pearl stated, a smile on her face as she moved her castle into line with my king. "I have to admit though that was a rather close game, you've come quite a ways Pink."

"I had you as a teacher Pearl, of course I did." I replied with a smile as Pearl picked up the board and stored it in her Gem, I had to remember to ask her if ALL Gem's could do that at some point.

"Oh, you're too kind." Pearl stated with a smile, standing up and walking off towards the front door. "Now would you mind looking after Steven while I go out? I need to resupply Steven's food."

"I'll keep an eye on him." I replied, glancing over to Steven who was on the phone with Connie.

Pearl gave a nod that she understood and left, shutting the door after her. I gave a glance up to Steven who was very occupied with talking to Connie and made my way over to the lounge, sitting down and pulling a book from underneath the table. I leant back into the soft comfort of the lounges cushions, the sound of Steven talking to Connie above me fading into the background as I turned to the last page I'd been reading and absorbed myself into the sto-

"PINK!" I heard Steven yell into my ear, my book went flying as I jumped and we both watched it sail through the air and fall onto the floor. The page number I was at, now forgotten to time. "Uhhh, I wanted to ask you some things about Schoo-ool?"

"I'm sorry what was that? I couldn't hear you over the tragedy of losing my place in my book." I replied sarcastically, although looking at the serious look on Steven's face I couldn't help the smile growing on my face until it became laughter. I continued to giggle as I went and collected my book from the floor and came to sit back down next to Steven on the lounge.

"Oh come on, I'm being serious!" Steven stated pouting. "I thought you knew some stuff about schools?"

"I know some things yeah, what did you want to know?" I asked, sarcasm gone but still smiling. "And what's gotten you so curious about school in the first place?"

"Well I was talking with Connie and apparently all kids our age go to this 'School'." Steven replied. "Also Schools going to be out tomorrow, so now might be my only chance to ever experience it!"

"School or summer break?" I asked, jokingly sarcastic.

"Yes."

We both looked blankly at each other for a few seconds before I said "Okay, just give me a few minutes to think up some stuff that would be appropriate for you to learn."

"You could teach me stuff about Gems!" Steven suggested, his eyes growing brighter as the thought came to him. "No body else seems to want to teach me, they think I'll just learn it naturally."

"You will, although knowing a few things won't hurt your growth I suppose." I thought to myself as Steven gave me a hug as thanks. I hugged him back but quickly pushed him away so I could better think.

"Why don't you teach me about the Diamonds?" Steven asked, a smile on his face as he brought the suggestion forward. I froze after he said it, the thoughts and implications of him knowing certain things enough to do so. "You are a Diamond so that means you've got to know about them right? Uhh Right? Helloooo, Is Pink Diamond in there?" He added, waving his hand in front of my face.

I snapped out of my thoughts as he did so and gave him an awkward smile "M-maybe we can leave that particular subject for another day, we can just cover the basics for now." I said, my thoughts now racing for anything to change the subject. "How about we start with what Gems are? You might want a pen and paper so you can take this down... and I could probably use something to write on myself."

"But Pearl has all the writing stuff since 'The Incident'." Steven moaned in frustration, crossing his arms and giving me a stink eye.

"Accident. It was an ACCIDENT, spell it with me. A. C. C-"

"You wrote 'Ha Ha It was me, signed Pink' On the picture and then ran away laughing." Steven interrupted, uncrossing his arms and looking up to the portrait of Rose, which now had a handlebar moustache and some very conspicuous writing in the bottom corner. "We're still trying to find out what was in that tea Pearl bought, but that doesn't make it an accident."

"I'm sorry, I thought it would be funny. And it kind of is." I replied with a slight chuckle, my eyes also trailing up to the portrait. I had no regrets, but he didn't need to know that right now.

"Not to me!" Steven stated with a bit of anger, his fists were close to being clenched. "That's my Mom."

"Steven... Look I'm sorry, okay?" I said, looking down sadly at Steven. I didn't realise that I'd effected him this much with something so simple. I bent down and gave him a hug, like he'd given me before. After some hesitation he hugged back.

"Apology accepted." Steven said, his voice more even now. "Now what were we talking about again?"

"I... don't remember?" I said, hoping Steven would buy it and I wouldn't have to explain anything Gem related to Him.

"Oh come on, it was something about writing, right?" Steven said, scratching his head.

Our 'musing' was put aside as the front door opened and Pearl walked back in, which seemed to spark Steven's memory.

"Pearl's back!" Steven exclaimed excitedly as he rushed over to her, she wobbled a bit but retained her balance as he ran into her legs and looked up at her. "Pearl! Can we borrow the drawing stuff? Pink's gonna teach me about Gems!"

"Steven! You want to learn about Gems?" Pearl asked excitedly, before what he said fully registered and she looked over at me. "Wait, Pink's going to teach you?"

"Yeah! She's gonna tell me all about what Gems are and other basic stuff!" Steven stated, repeating what I'd said earlier. "I asked her to tell me about Diamond stuff but I don't think she wants to tell me."

"Don't worry too much about it Steven, it may be something very personal to her that she's not ready to share yet." Pearl stated, throwing me a quick smile over Stevens shoulder at me before she turned her attention back to him. "But if you want to know things about Gems then I can just give you this."

Pearl reached towards her Gem and it glowed a bright white as she reached in and produced a Mirror, No... THE MIRROR.

"We found this Gem powered mirror at the galaxy warp! It can capture and display any event it's witnessed in all of Gem history!" Pearl stated, still excited from the prospect of helping teach Steven about Gems. "It'll offer you anything you've ever wanted to know about your fellow Gems and our culture!"

"I must be incredibly important to Gem culture." Steven stated with amazement while looking himself in the mirror while I had a slight panic attack in the background.

'That's THE MIRROR, the one with Lapis's Gem stuck in it!' I thought to myself as I looked over at Pearl trying to get the Mirror to work for Steven. 'I didn't realise we'd come so far in the story! Oh god I have no plans for this! WHY DIDN'T I PLAN FOR THIS?!'

"SCHOOLS OUT!" I heard Steven yell with glee, breaking me out of my inner thoughts.

Looking up I jumped back when I realised Pearl was right in front of me, scrutinising me.

"Are you okay my Diamond? You almost looked scared." Pearl asked, her creased brows showing her worry.

"I-I'm fine." I stated, even though I most certainly was not. "I guess Steven asking all those questions about the Diamond's got me worried is all."

"I imagine it caught you a bit off guard then?" Pearl said, stepping back to give me some space. "As long as you're okay, now why don't you go do something while I put away Steven's food." She added, turning to go to the kitchen.

"Y-yeah..." I said, thinking to myself about what I should do about this whole Mirror thing. "I'm gonna go sit by the beach for a bit."

With that said I left the house with a bit of urgency that I'm sure Pearl probably noticed. But I couldn't help myself, I was still panicking. I made my way down to the shoreline and sat down just out of it's reach, listening to the waves to calm myself so I could think clearly.

'It's a while since I've done this.' I thought to myself after a few minutes of listening to the water break over the sand around me, washing back out to sea.

I was torn. I'd thought about what I might do when Jasper and Peridot arrived, so far pulling rank seemed to be the only way I might solve that particular dispute without fighting.

But I hadn't even thought about the events that lead to that. Lapis Lazuli, the Mirror Gem who wants to return to home world. Currently Steven was in town with his new... uh what was it again? Fun buddy? I couldn't remember properly, it had been a while since I'd seen the show even if it was my favourite cartoon and I was forgetting some details.

'Not important.' I thought to myself, refocussing on the problem.

If I stopped Lazuli from leaving for home world, then maybe Peridot and Jasper wouldn't come to Earth. Everyone would be safe, at least for a while. But if I did that than Steven might never learn about him being a Diamond, all the events that occurred in the show that lead to all the corrupted Gems beings cured by the Diamonds might never come to pass. The shadow of that decision weighed heavily on me, I could almost feel it's weight.

'But would I really let all those Gems stay corrupted just to keep Steven and the other Crystal Gems safe?' I asked myself. I looked out to the ocean, almost hoping for an answer. The sound of waves creeping up the sand and retreating back into the sea persisted, doing their usual job of calming me. 'At the same time, am I willing to put Steven and the Gems through all the hardship they go through so that everyone can get their 'happy ending'? Will that help me with mine?'

I didn't have an answer, nor could I seem to think of one that was any good. There was no future it seemed where no one would suffer somehow, maybe that was just life though. With a sigh I laid back in the sand at that sobering thought. I had a decision to make, and I needed to make it soon or it would be made for me.

* * *

I don't know how much time I'd spent there laying in the sand trying to make a decision, but it must have been a while because the sun had set and the tide had pulled out. It made me panic just a little bit because I was thinking of Lapis at the time and assumed she'd been set free already. But the ocean was still here so I let out a sigh of relief and lay back down.

It was a few minutes later that Steven found me.

"Hey Pink! You wanna meet my new frieeend?" Steven asked coyly, hovering above me. In his right hand was the Mirror.

I tensed up a bit but tried to appear relaxed, but Steven was waiting on an answer.

"Suuuure Steven, who's your new friend?" I asked sitting up and turning to him, I calmed myself a bit with a deep breath and regained my composure. I wasn't going to panic in front of Steven, it would just confuse him.

"It's the Mirror!" He stated, presenting it to me proudly before pulling it back to himself. "Pearl said it was broken but I fixed it! She didn't say it was like a person."

"A person?" I asked, playing up my confusion for Steven's sake.

"Saaay Hi!" Steven said to the mirror, showing it to me. Like in the show nothing happened at first though. "Just uh, just give us a second."

While Steven talked to the 'mirror' I sat, thinking about what I was going to do. I had a chance here to change things, maybe an even better chance if I could convince Pearl that the mirror wasn't some sort of threat.

Actually thinking back to the show, I was kind of confused as to why they were so surprised, shocked and scared about the 'mirror' having it's own personality. I mean it DID have a gem after all. Were they scared because it was from home world?

I was brought out of my musings by the sound of a fart and some laughing and looked over at Steven who was smiling into the mirror.

"Just couldn't help yourself could huh?" Steven asked.

"Just-For-You-Steeveeeen." The Mirror cobbled together as a response, my god was that eerie hearing that in person. No wonder the Gems were terrified of it. It laughed creepily as well, using a loop of Steven's own laugh.

"Okaaaay, not gonna lie Steven. It's a little creepy the way it talks." I stated, visibly put off. "But uhh, any friend of Steven's is a friend of mine... I guess." I added, forcing a smile.

"Great! Pink, this is Mirror. And Mirror, this is Pink!" Steven stated pointing the Mirror towards me once again.

"Hi." I said nervously, not really sure how to introduce myself. "A pleasure to meet you...Mirror."

"Hi-Pink! A pleasure to meet you." The Mirror responded, using its regular pattern of repeating what it's seen. "Must be incredibly important to Gem culture." It added, playing the scene back from when Pearl was giving Steven the mirror.

"Wait, you-you recognise me?" I asked in a panic, starting to break a sweat.

"Oh come on! I know you-Pink!" The Mirror responded, I was having second thoughts about letting Lapis out of the Mirror now. What would she say to Steven? "I-recognise-you-Pink! Gem-doesn't seem broken to me!" Okay scratch that I was scared about what she might say NOW.

"Broken?" Steven asked, curious. "What do you mean?"

"I think they just recognise me as one of the Diamond's is all, nothing important." I said to Steven, trying to end this line of conversation. "Why don't we go introduce your new friend to the other Gems?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Mirror screamed in protest, jostling Steven's hand a bit.

"Wow, you really don't want to see the Gems huh?" Steven asked with a tinge of worry and confusion. "But why?"

"the Gems-broken- Pink!-don't want to see the Gems-" The mirror somewhat explained, my god was I glad it's speech was so broken.

"What? But, I don't understand. The Gem's wouldn't ever want to hurt Pink." Steven said to the Mirror before looking up at me. "Right?"

"It's a long story Steven. One that you deserve to know as well, but I think the other Gems would appreciate it if they were the ones to tell you." I tried to say carefully, not wanting to suggest that the Gems would ever want to harm me.

"That's not a no." Steven stated, his face falling a bit. "Is this about what you guys were talking about when you first showed up? About Mom shattering you?"

My eyes went wide as I tried to think back to then, to try and remember what I or the Gem's had said. But my reaction to the question must have been enough of a confirmation for Steven as he continued his interrogation.

"It is, isn't it?" Steven said, putting things together. "What is shattering anyway? It sounded bad, but Mom wouldn't do something like that!"

"I-I um... Wow that's... hoooo boy." I chuckled nervously as Steven stared at me expectantly. "I wasn't expecting to be the one to explain this, but uh... okay huhhh."

I think I started to glow a little pink as I racked my brain trying to find a way to NOT explain this to Steven, but I couldn't exactly just run away either. I looked down at Steven who was holding that blasted Mirror, the source of my problems right now.

'Nope, I don't shatter Gems. NOT HAPPENING.' I thought to myself in retraint as my mind started to wander towards more violent thoughts. Eventually I sighed in defeat and looked into Steven's eyes, who was still waiting for an answer. 'Okay, just-just rip it off like a band aid.'

"Okay Steven, Shattering is...is when a Gems gem gets damaged to the point where it... no longer works." I said, still trying to be gentle about it.

"So it's like dying?" Steven asked, sounding a bit sombre as he came to the realisation in his head. He looked up at me with pain evident in his eyes. "Mom-Mom tried to kill you? But she was a good person! She wouldn't try to do something like that... right? Wait is that why you drew on Mom's picture?" He added, not entirely wrong.

"I was literally a different person back then." I replied with some effort. "But it doesn't matter anyway right? I may not remember exactly what happened perfectly but I'm here right?"

"That's... y-yeah, You're right!" Steven stated, forcing a smile. "It doesn't matter what happened because you're here now!"

"Good. Good... now we still need to introduce your new friend to the Gems. As much as they don't want to they're OUR family so they'll have to get to know them eventually." I stated, changing the subject back.

"Yeah! Come on beach summer fun buddy, you're gonna love the rest of the Gems!" Steven said as we started making our way towards the temple.

Strangely enough the Mirror had no qualms this time as we walked towards the temple, no outbursts or complaints at all. I gave Lapis' cracked Gem on the back a curious glance as we walked into the house itself.

To be honest I was just happy that explaining Pink's shattering to Steven had gone so well. Hell I may even have seeded some doubts about it to begin with, wait-WAS that a good thing to have done?

"Hey guys!" Steven said with a bit of excitement as we walked in. Pearl was a bit busy in the kitchen chopping up some vegetables for Steven's dinner while Garnet and Amethyst sat on the lounge.

"Hey Ste-man, how's it hangin?" Amethyst asked, a smile on her face.

"Howdy." Garnet said simply, pointing a finger gun at us. "Bang."

"Oh you're just in time, we were starting to wonder when you'd get back for dinner." Pearl said from the kitchen, pushing all the chopped vegetables she'd finished with onto a plate before moving to a pan on the stove. "I hope you're hungry, I got more eggs today."

"That's great Pearl! But you know what's even better?" Steven asked, building a bit of suspense. "I fixed the Mirror!"

At the declaration Pearl stopped with the fridge door open, a smile on her face as she looked at Steven "Excellent work Steven!"

"You didn't tell me it was like a person!" Steven said innocently, not really noticing the way the Gems tensed up at this.

"Wait... what?" Pearl asked, mildly fearful. The fridge door shut on it's own as she let it swing closed.

"Say hello buddy!" Steven said, motioning the Mirror forward.

The Mirror did nothing, and for a few moments I thought this moment would play out like in the show. But what happened next showed me that me being here WAS having an impact on future events.

"Hi-Gem-shattering- new friend-" The Mirror said, shocking all of us.

"Hey, that's not very nice." Steven said with a frown as he turned the mirror back around to face himself. "You should apologise."

"not very nice-Gems!-Steeveeenn-" The Mirror replied.

"It's...talking to him? It shouldn't be able to do that, it should only be following orders." Pearl stated, actually fearful now. "And it thinks we shatter other Gem's?"

"Garnet, this is weird. You gotta DO something." Amethyst stated, hiding behind one of her legs.

At this Garnet quickly moved forward crouching down next to me in front of Steven, I just took a few steps back. I didn't think this was going to be pretty.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Neither did the Mirror.

"You should just give us back the Mirror, it'll be safer where we can watch it." Garnet stated.

"Yeah LETS BUBBLE IT." Amethyst added from behind Garnet, still fearful.

Steven looked between the Mirror and Garnet in confusion as the Mirror started shouting NO once again. He seemed very conflicted right now.

"Steven, don't make me have to take it from you." Garnet said a little more urgently.

Steven looked in my direction for help and I myself felt helpless as I looked between the two of them. After mustering a bit of courage I looked toward Garnet and said "We don't HAVE to do this do we?"

"We'll all be safer if we do this." Garnet replied, not taking her sight off of Steven.

"B-But it doesn't want to go with you! Can't you hear it screaming?" Steven said, looking between Garnet and the Mirror once more.

"Steven. It is just, a Mirror. A tool." Garnet replied, reaching a hand out to take the Mirror from Steven. "It can't want anything."

It seemed to happen in a moment, but Steven's hand came between Garnet's and the Mirror. With a swift motion Garnet's hand was batted away.

"It wants to be with ME!" Steven exclaimed as he did so, accidentally catching Garnet's face. Her glasses flew off and the rest of us tensed up as Garnet looked back to Steven with anger in her eyes, not hidden away by her glasses.

The other Gems and I gasped as Steven panicked and ran out the door yelling he was sorry, the Mirror still in his hand as he fled. I looked out at the stairs I'd seen Steven disappear down, my hands wrung in front of me as I watched Garnet pick her glasses back up and glare in the direction he went.

"That little boy, is in BIG. Trouble." Garnet said as she stormed out of the house after him.

"Garnet wait!" Pearl screamed, in fear for Steven. "I'm sure he didn't know what he was doing!"

She seemed to be following after Garnet but stopped next to me, putting a hand on my shoulder and looking me in the eye. "Come on, we have to find Steven before they do."

I gave a quick nod in agreement and we left the house in search of Steven, Garnet and Amethyst were waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. there was a tense moment as we looked at each other, but Garnet gave us a soft look and a nod. A promise that she wouldn't hurt Steven when we found him. It was enough for us.

"Fan out!" Garnet yelled and we moved to the order, searching along the beach for any trace of Steven.

It didn't take long to find him.

A minute or so passed in the search before Pearl saw a Gem float towards the ocean and begin to form, she called us over and the other Gem's readied themselves for a fight. We ran over as quick as we could.

I hoped things had changed enough where we could still talk this out, without Lapis leaving by stealing the ocean or leaving for home world. Regardless of whether Lapis would let home world know that the Crystal Gems still existed, she knew I was here. Another Pink Diamond, and I wasn't ready for the family reunion THAT information would bring to Earth.

"Steven!" Garnet yelled once he was in sight, her voice reverberating around the beach at its volume. We ran forward, the other Gems prepared for a fight.

"Wait!" Steven yelled, running between us.

"You..." The word was said with such venom that it sent a shiver down my spine to hear it. Lapis glared down the Crystal Gems beside me "My Diamond, please move away from those Crystal Gems. I don't know why you seem to think of yourself as one, but I don't want to hurt you."

"And we don't want to hurt you, please. We just want to talk this out." I replied with an urgency. I looked to the other Gems beside me, but their gripped tightened around their weapons.

"It certainly doesn't seem like it." Lapis replied, noticing as well that they didn't want to disarm themselves. "Those three KNEW I was in there, And they did NOTHING!"

A large fist of water formed from the sea behind her as she spoke, and the Gems tensed up even further. I summoned my shield as the fist came down and it rang like a bell as they made contact with each other.

"I thought at least you would try and help me, but all you wanted to do was bring me back to THEM!" Lapis added with a scream, engulfed in her rage. "MY NAME IS LAPIS LAZULI! AND YOU CANNOT KEEP ME TRAPPED HERE ANY. MORE!"

The fist swelled with water and crashed down even harder the second time, bringing me to me knee's. I heard flowing water and saw water splash around the shield before gushing towards me, pushing me away from the Crystal Gems, now unable to protect them. Looking up I saw Garnet rushing towards Lapis but was washed away along with Steven in a huge wave, taking Lapis with it.

She was gone.

"Steven!" Pearl yelled, rushing forward and embracing him. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Steven said, a little lost for words at what just happened. "Is Pink okay?"

"I'm fine." I answered as I walked up to the group along the beach, a little sullen myself.

"So that another Gem as well huh?" Steven seemed to ask himself as well as everyone else.

"Yes." Pearl asked, a bit disappointed with how things turned out. "Not all Gem's are going to like or understand us."

We all looked out to sea, wondering what was going to happen next. I had a fairly good idea but knew I couldn't do anything even if I said I knew, and so watched the beach sadly, knowing it might be gone tomorrow. And it wasn't just that either.

'She knows, she knows I'm a Diamond.' I thought worriedly, thinking about the implications if Lapis were to make it off world. 'This is REALLY BAD.'

"Pink, Pink. PINK!" Steven yelled at me, at this point I noticed I was glowing. Pearl was off to one side as Steven looked up from his hug below me. "What's wrong?"

"She knows I'm a Diamond Steven." I said with fear in my voice, crouching down to his height and returning the hug. "We can't let her leave Earth, if she were to get to home world and tell anyone..."

"It's okay Pink, We'll sort something out. She can't leave anyway, the galaxy warp is broken." Pearl said, trying to reassure me. It wasn't working.

"There's other ways she could leave, what if she uses the Earth's ocean to launch herself into space or something? You saw how powerful she is!" I replied, the glow around me intensifying as the fear in me accumulated. My thoughts were broken off though as Pearl walked forward and hugged me, something she rarely did.

She was soon followed by Amethyst and then Garnet. I couldn't help the single tear that escaped my eye at the loving gesture, feeling all of them tighten their grip around me.

"Everything will be fine." Garnet stated in a soothing voice.

"We've got you P." Amethyst added, squeezing extra tight to show her affection.

"I won't let any harm come to you, either from this Lapis or ANY home world Gem's My Diamond." Pearl stated as well, without hesitation. You could feel the love in her voice, I could almost feel the other Gems grips tense a bit at hearing Pearl say that phrase.

"Yeah, they'll have to go through us Sis!" Steven added innocently as usual, squeezing as hard as he could to add to the hug.

"I-I love you guys." I broke, another tear following after the first as I freed an arm and did my best to embrace the others back. "I don't deserve you."

We spent the next few minutes like that, embraced and listening to the waves roll up onto the sand of the beach peacefully.

"Steven, you're grounded." Garnet stated, through the hug. "Also I think we are all going to have a long talk after this."

"Awwwwww whaaaat?" Steven replied in disappointment retreating back into the hug to try and escape from the words.

I gave a slight chuckle at Stevens reaction to being grounded, which was soon followed by the others and slowly we all were laughing with each other as we left the hug, staring out at sea. I sat down on the sand, followed by Steven who didn't seem to have enough hugs yet and wrapped his arms around me, leaning into me. I rested a hand on his head with a smile and we all sat down and looked up at the stars, I know Steven couldn't see it but all of the Gems and I recognised the small cluster of Stars that made up Home world's system.

"You guys are right." I said looking towards home world, a small smile on my face. "Whatever happens, we'll be ready."

* * *

A/N What a chapter! I'm glad it's finally done, but We've got the next one to go. I hope you're all ready for the Ocean Gem! Stay tuned folks! ;P


	10. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 The Talk

* * *

We'd spent long enough outside watching the stars, long enough that Steven had grown tired enough too go to bed which we were all thankful for. We didn't know where this talk Garnet wanted to have was going to go but we knew it would be better if he didn't know what was going to be said.

It was only once we heard snoring that we'd decided to go back outside, we didn't go far though. We stood at the bottom of the stairs up to the houses front porch, I sat down on the stairs and Pearl sat next to me, a supporting arm on my shoulder as I looked nervously up at Garnet.

"So... What are we talking about today?" I asked, hoping for the best. Though I didn't know what the best of this situation would be come to think of it.

"I believe it's time you told them." Garnet stated, a more serious than usual look on her face. "You shouldn't worry about being rejected, just... Tell them. They deserve to know."

"I-I know but isn't it a bit soon?" I stated, knowing she was talking about my being a human in the past. "I haven't even really figured myself out yet."

"My future vision says that right now is the best time to do it, without hurting them too much." Garnet replied, beside her I saw Amethyst start to get a bit frustrated about being 'left out of the loop' again.

"Oh come on, stop talking ABOUT us and start talking TO us!" She exclaimed, anger winning over. "There's enough secrets being kept around here as it is!"

"I'm sorry Amethyst, but it was really personal... I was hoping to wait a bit longer before I told you guys but... If Garnet's right and it'll just lead to you guys getting hurt. I'll tell you." I said in apology, shifting on the stairs a bit as I mentally and physically prepared myself to tell the Gems I used to be human.

"You, are you really ready to tell them?" Asked Pearl with a bit of confusion and... relief? "Oh my stars I've been waiting years to tell them!"

"Wait what? OH GOD NO PEARL NO!" I panicked, covering her mouth with my hands. "I- Okay this just became a LOT more complicated..." I added as I noticed the other Crystal Gems staring at us, extremely perplexed.

"You, have a different secret than... THAT one." Garnet more stated than asked, she shifted her glasses a bit and I started to glow a little Pink with the amount of anxiety I felt.

"I-Y-yes. Look I'm ready to tell the secret that GARNET knows, not the one that PEARL knows." I stated, with a quiver to my voice. "I-I'm not sure whether or not you guys would even still keep me around after revealing THAT one."

"Look, whatever those secrets are P, We'll all have your back." Amethyst stated with such a surety that I almost believed her.

A quick look between Pearl and Garnet though brought back my fears as I thought on what their reactions would be.

"Y-you-" All of us turned to Garnet who had started shaking, staring at me. My pink glow grew brighter as my fears rose. "Tell me it isn't true. It's just not possible."

There was a grim look on my face as I responded, trying to calm Garnet and myself at the same time.

"I'm not her, you know that." I answered, being slightly evasive. I could feel Pearl tense beside me.

"But that's because you used to be Human!" Garnet stated in a ramble. "You-She-She used to be a Diamond? It's- Tell me I'm wrong, please!" Garnet was getting hysterical at this point.

"Used to be Human?" Pearl asked in confusion as I glowed even more Pink. Pearl turned her head to look at me and I couldn't help but look away in shame. "Surely you must be mistaken, right my Diamond?"

There was an awkward silence that filled the air around us, we couldn't even hear Steven's snores any more.

"Woah, wait so Garnet's right?" Amethyst asked, a bit more curious than accusatory or pressuring at the moment which I GREATLY appreciated. She really was a lot more mature than the other Gems gave her credit for. "You used to be human? How? And how'd you get to be a Diamond?"

"I-I Don't know." I answered, I didn't dare look at Pearl or Garnet right now. I knew they were expecting an explanation and it felt like they'd snap at me if I just looked at them. "I-I died in a fire, and the next thing I know I'm here. A Gem, Pink Diamond at that."

"But-you-you can't be human, You're a Diamond...I-I can't- I can't do this again, please!" Pearl suddenly cried, gripping me in a hug. I finally turned to her to see tears streaming down her face as she looked up at me, begging for it not to be true.

It hurt, it hurt to look down at her and I did the only thing I could think of and I hugged her back, tears starting to gather in my eyes as well.

"I-I'm not- I'm a gem now, I'm Pink Diamond." I said, holding back my own tears. I got a sob and a squeeze from Pearl in reply who sniffed as I continued. "I'm just...different, but I don't want to lie to you, or any of you. Yes. I used to be Human."

I didn't get a reply but Pearl's crying intensified and she drew herself in closer to me, I hugged her close and gathered enough strength to look up to the other two Crystal Gems. Amethyst looked conflicted but still gave me a smile despite everything just said, but a quick look to Garnet told me that this 'talk' wasn't finished.

"She used to be your Pearl, wasn't she?" Garnet asked, fighting to keep her tone even. She drew in a harsh breath and her form seemed slightly more solid than it did before, though she still twitched.

I gave a nod in reply and Garnet let a single tear fall down from behind her glasses. She looked between Pearl and I and seemed to hold herself together enough to add "It's true then, Rose Quartz used to be Pink Diamond."

I flinched a bit as Pearl's grip tightened until it almost hurt, her sobbing stopping for a bit. I was more worried as I looked up and saw Garnets form waver a bit at Pearl's reaction, probably taking it as a confirmation.

"MY MOM'S MY SISTER?!" Steven screamed from his vantage point at the top of the porch, his head poking through the railing looking down at us with shock, mouth still ajar.

"STEVEN!" We all screamed back in response once we all realised he was awake, before urgently looking between ourselves, scrambling for an answer. We were distracted once again as we heard two dull thuds as Garnet unfused at the sudden distraction. Ruby and Sapphire both looked awkwardly at each other before looking up to Steven as well.

"YOU WERE A FUSION?!" Steven screamed again, now looking at Ruby and Sapphire respectively.

"Steven! I- er We-" Sapphire started, trying to explain. She froze up though, almost literally as the ground around her froze.

"Arrrgh-THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Ruby yelled at me angrily, pointing an accusatory finger. "If you didn't keep any secrets to start with then NONE. OF. THIS. WOULD'VE HAPPENED!"

"Hey it's not her fault she's different!" Amethyst stated, standing between Ruby and I. "She can't help it if she changed... into... wait a minute."

Amethyst froze as she made a realisation and started to look between Steven and I, specifically our Gems. "Wait, Rose GAVE UP her form to MAKE Steven, He's even got her Gem."

Things went quiet again as all the other Gems minus Pearl stared at me, she still clung to my side, giving out a sob every now and again.

"How are you even here?" Amethyst asked, REALLY confused now as her face scrunched up trying to figure it out. "Your Gem's not fake, but YOU can't be Pink Diamond if- well..."

"She's Pink Diamond." Pearl stated, pulling herself a bit away from me. I looked towards her with sadness in my eyes as I thought she'd hate me for all this controversy, but she gave me a small smile and I hugged her this time. "We-We went into Rose's room together and the room responded to her Gem, it built us a home world styled living room to talk in."

"So, There's TWO Pink Diamond's?" Ruby asked, almost unbelieving. She grumbled a bit but sighed before walking next to Sapphire, who was still frozen. She sat down next to her with a plomp before speaking back up. "As if things weren't complicated enough already!"

"I am SO CONFUUUUUSED." Steven groaned, rolling over from his position on the balcony.

"I'm sorry Steven, I wanted to tell you... But I didn't know how to tell you-how to tell ANY of you really. ANY of this." I apologised, looking to Pearl from my hug. In response she smiled at me and ruffled my poofy pink hair.

"Oh yeah, you used to be Human too." Amethyst stated as if she'd ALREADY forgotten, gaining a quick gasp from Steven.

"YOU USED TO BE HUMAN?!"

"Well now that everyone's caught up..." I started, pulling away from Pearl and I's hug. "I kind of want this to be finished and over with. No more secrets, everything out in the open. I have most of Pinks-er Roses...Steven's mom, I have Steven's mom's memories. Well most of them, I wasn't lying when I said there was holes in my memories. I may have just been clever with my words."

"Not saying you're lying is still lying, whoever you are." Steven said, squinting down at me with a bit of anger. "I feel like I don't even know you any more."

"I-I- Ow." I replied, looking up at Steven my hand over where my heart would be as tears started forming in my eyes. "I- Steven. Please I didn't want to hurt you, I've wanted to tell you since I met you. But I'm not your Mom, I didn't even know what I was doing back then. It was my first day as a Gem when we met."

"Steven please, she would've told you if she could. But she was afraid something exactly like this would happen." Pearl stated in my defence, gaining me another look from Steven who looked down at me near in tears. Steven's look softened.

"I'm sorry it's just... This is all SO CONFUSING." Steven stated looking down at us. "Garnet was a Fusion, which is cool but you are a Gem who has all of my mom's memories but isn't my mom but also IS at the same time? Uuugh, my brain hurts."

"You're not the only one." Amethyst added, giving me a stare. She broke it off and sighed before looking at me with a bit of pity. "You must feel pretty messed up upstairs with two sets of memories but only one body. I know it's giving ME a headache..."

"You don't know the half of it." I replied with a small smile, trying to bring the mood up a bit. "I'm still super confused about who I am, I know I'm not a fusion otherwise I'd have Pink or Rose in here with me. And I know I'm not either my old human self or them, I'm just... Me now. Pink Diamond."

"If-If you don't mind me asking." Steven interrupted, bringing our gazes up to him. "Who were you? Before all this."

"I...My name was Max." I said, somewhat to myself before looking back up to Steven. "I-I can't remember my last name, probably for the same reason I can't remember some of Pink's memories. I was about twenty three and I'd moved out of home about a year ago. I-I died in a fire and spent I don't know how long drifting in a colourful void before waking up here, like this. By the way the house needs a fire alarm."

"Max, That's a nice name." Steven said, with a slight smile before it fell. "I'm sorry you died..."

"It's okay, and please...call me Pink." I replied, smiling softly back. I was glad that Steven was slowly forgiving me. "I'm not Max any more, I'm Pink Diamond. The Crystal Gem."

"Does it feel a bit weird? You know being a girl gem?" Steven asked out of the blue.

"What? OH, right. Uh... I guess it did to begin with, but I kind of got used to it pretty quickly." I answered, still a little flustered at the question. "But I think my memories of being a Gem sort of overrode that initial weirdness, if that makes any sense."

"Eh kinda." Amethyst said, interjecting. "Actually no that made no sense to me, but hey you get points for trying to explain it."

"No one has any REAL QUESTIONS?!" Ruby yelled from he spot next to Sapphire, who started to thaw at the heat of Ruby's anger. "How about this one! Why'd Pink Diamond even NEED to turn into Rose Quartz in the FIRST PLACE? SHE WAS A DIAMOND! If she didn't WANT to keep invading Earth she could've just LEFT!"

"That's... kind of my, err her fault too." I replied, a little nervously as Ruby stared me down. I could see the grass under her start to char. "When I- err she. That is-...uh how do I explain this? Pink-The other Pink...Was kind of a brat before she got the Earth."

"No she wasn't. In my entire time in your service you never once seemed to be anything like bratty." Pearl said in my-ughh Pink's defence. "In fact you-she seemed rather reserved a lot of the time, though she was certainly free spirited."

"You didn't know me-Uggh this is going to get annoying. You didn't know HER before you were given to her, she... she accidentally 'broke' her first Pearl. I think I remember telling you that." I said in reply, turning to Pearl. "After that she reigned things in a good bit because along with wanting a colony and too seem more mature like the other Diamonds, she didn't want to accidentally hurt anyone."

"That's... That 'is' just like her." Pearl admitted with a sigh. She looked back up to me though and smiled. "Thank you for telling me My Diamond."

"Your welcome My Pearl." I said back, earning a loving smile in return.

"Uggh get a room." Amethyst interrupted, getting a chuckle from Steven before joining in herself. "I suppose you can can't you? You've already been in there."

"Uhhh Excuse me? STILL ANGRY HERE!" Ruby exploded, the grass beneath her catching fire. "I-"

"I have a question." Sapphire stated, catching our attention after her long silence. We could tell she was still distraught by the icicles still around her feet."Some time ago when we first met, you told us to never question who we were."

Ruby looked over to Sapphire who looked back, there was a single tear crawling down her face from behind her long fringe.

"Why?" Sapphire asked, looking back at me. "Why would you tell us that when at that point when you weren't even sure of who YOU wanted to be?" The atmosphere around us grew colder as she asked.

"You were inspiring, something unheard of but beautiful. Like everything else I'd found on Earth." I replied after a few seconds thought. I tensed a bit when I realised I'd spoken of past Pink as myself again but went on anyway. "At first I was fighting just for Human's and the Earth, to keep them safe by driving off every other Gem from the planet. But after I saw you, I realised that this was a place where a Gem could be anything she wanted to be. After that, I wanted to fight for you. And other Gems like you, so you wouldn't have to be afraid of the consequences of being 'different'."

"That's...I think I understand, Ruby?" Sapphire inquired, sending her a knowing nod.

"Yeah that, that wraps up most questions I had pretty nicely." Ruby stated, before smiling at her Sapphire. She still looked back at me and gave me a scowl, it hurt to know she'd been hurt by this, by me. Without hesitation she lifted her hand up to Sapphire in a gesture to dance, her expression changing into a smile. "Shall we?"

With a giggle and a genuine smile from Sapphire they joined hands and spun around each other, bathing in the glow of the others Gem before they fused and grew back into Garnet.

"GARNET'S BACK!" Steven exclaimed happily, giving her a big smile.

"Hello to you too Steven, We're sorry you had to find out we were a fusion like this." Garnet stated, giving me a quick glance before looking back to the boy in his pyjamas laying down on the porch above us.

"Oh that's right!" Pearl stated remembering something. "The surprise was going to be your birthday present!"

"Oh GOD, Oh Steven I'm so sorry!" I yelled sadness evident on my face.

"It's okay, I'm just glad that everything's better now that everything's out in the open." Steven stated, unknowingly quoting a song he would've sung in the future. At this point now I'd doubt he'd sing it, which kind of disappointed me. "At least, I hope it is."

"It will be." Garnet stated, staring over the lot of us. "This will take some time to adjust to, for all of us. But for now, I believe you're out of bed Steven."

"Eeep!" Steven exclaimed before scurrying off back inside, we heard the door slam shut and we all had a little chuckle at his expense.

"I think we could all use some relaxation after this. It has been a LONG day." Garnet said, the rest of us nodded our heads in agreement before walking back up to the temple.

We all went inside and Garnet closed the door behind us, Amethyst was the first to get to the temple door and go to her room. She did so with barely a word which was odd for her, but she turned around as the door closed and gave me a smile and I knew she'd be alright.

"I'll go check on Steven." Pearl stated, turning and walking up the stairs to 'his room'.

"Sure." I replied, moving over to the couch and sitting down. I moved over to the corner and made myself comfortable, I planned on being here all night after all.

Garnet looked up at Pearl and gave a quick nod before moving towards the temple herself, quickly disappearing behind the door. I readied myself for a night of long thinking but was surprised when I saw Pearl walked back down the stairs and sat next to me on the couch.

"Steven's okay?" I asked, genuinely worried.

"I hope so, It's been quite a day for him. For all of us." Pearl stated, looking out the window to the ocean as she said so. She turned to me and gave me a small smile before adding "I'm sure Steven will be fine once he's had time to think things through, I'm more worried about you."

"Me?" I asked, my face scrunching up in confusion. "But- Everyone else was so hurt today, even you. I know I told you that I was still keeping some things from you, but... I don't think you were expecting..."

"That you used to be human? Well in some way at least..." Pearl tensed up a bit and looked away, she must of been embarrassed about her reaction earlier. "I have to admit, it wasn't EXACTLY what I was expecting. But, well you're not human now anyway." She said looking back at me with a smile.

'Would it have been a problem if I was?' I thought to myself as I looked in her eyes. I'd wanted to say it but as I'd told her, enough people had been hurt today. 'By me.'

"I guess not." I replied simply, forcing a smile in return. Although I don't think Pearl noticed the forced nature of it.

"Regardless, you were put under a lot of pressure today." Pearl stated, her eyes going soft as she looked at me. Maybe she did notice. She turned her gaze to the temple door as she continued. "Garnet...I didn't think she'd be so... torn about learning you -or the other Pink- was Rose. And I... MAY have overacted a bit when I heard you used to be Human. I-I'm sorry, My Diamond."

"Apology accepted Pearl, I understand it was a lot to take in." I replied, looking at the temple myself now and thinking of the other Crystal Gems within. "For all of you, I suppose I'm just happy everything seemed to go so well. For now anyway."

"For now?" Pearl asked confused.

"I think I've broken Garnet's trust. It tears me up inside knowing that she's probably hurting right now because of something I did or said." I stated, my gaze still fixated on the temple door. "I know It's already done now, but I can't help but feel like I could've...said something different, or done something a different way where no one would've been hurt."

"Try not to think too much about it." Pearl said, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. I turned my face to her and saw worry in her eyes, along with a tinge of sadness. "This is why I was worried for you. You always seem to overthink these things. I've seen the way you worry about Steven or any one of us when we're on a mission, always charging forward with that Shield of yours."

"I can't help it Pearl, I love all of you. And I'll protect you with my life if I have too." I said honestly, and it kind of felt good to say.

Pearl's eyes grew a bit wet as she drew me into a hug, squeezing tight before pulling back and looking into my eyes.

"I know that, we know that." Pearl stated, wiping away a tear. "Just, please try not to get shattered? I don't know what I'd- We'd do without you."

A few tears gathered in the corner of my eyes as a watched Pearl's eyes tear up as well, but I blinked them away before replying "I'll try not to take any stupid risks."

Pearl smiled in reply, I could tell she felt better. She stood up from the couch and gave a quick look up to Steven's bed before looking back down to me with a soft smile.

"Have a good night My Diamond, Please. Try and get some rest." Pearl said, turning around and walking towards the temple door.

"I will. Thank you, My Pearl." I replied, returning the smile. I watched as the temple door opened and Pearl stepped inside. Pearl turned and gave me a loving smile as the door closed and I could feel my heart flutter.

Wait... did I have feelings for Pearl?

* * *

A/N What's that? an Update in the middle of the week? I've been waiting to post this for a while now, it felt good and bad to finally have this all written down. As usual let me know what you think so far and stay tuned for more!


	11. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 The Ocean Gem

* * *

I didn't get any sleep that night. Despite Pearl's words I had still spent most of the night thinking about them knowing EVERYTHING, well almost everything. I still had my foreknowledge of events to come, or at least their major players now.

Thankfully that was the main avenue of thought during the night, was how the timeline might change due to their knowledge of... Well that I, or Steven... That is that Pink Diamond was Rose Quartz.

That was ANOTHER Identity crisis that both Steven and I had to go through now I suppose, I gave a glance up to Steven's bed as that thought went through my head. I gave out a sigh and leant back into the pink cushion that was my hair and brought my legs up into my chest, it made me feel a bit better.

"Uggh, good morning Sis." I heard Steven say as he walked past me to get to the fridge.

"Morning Bro." I responded automatically, bringing my legs back down off of the couch and leaning forwards out of my hair, which sprung back to it's usual floofy form. "You sleep alright after last night?"

"I guess so." Steven replied, opening the fridge before looking at me. "I was still kind of getting used to the fact that Mom had shattered you... or Me I suppose, since Mom turned out to BE Pink Diamond. Still...processing that."

"You...you don't hate me for it?" I asked, a little scared at what the answer might be.

"Of course not." Steven stated, grabbing the milk from the fridge and putting it on the counter. "If anything this makes us kinda like a real brother and sister, we have the same Gem too!" Steven added with a big smile in my direction.

I shared the smile and replied "Thanks Steven, that means a lot."

"Yeah...Hey, do you think you could get the cereal down for me? You know Pearl doesn't like it when I climb on the counter." Steven asked with a playful smile on his face., I sent another smile back since I knew he would do EXACTLY that if I didn't.

"As long as you get me a cup out for some tea." I replied, he quickly nodded and we got to work setting breakfast up.

A few more minutes as the day settled in the sun rose and both Steven and I were sitting at the kitchen counter having our respective breakfasts, if you could call tea breakfast anyway.

"So...You were human right?" Steven asked over a spoonful of his cereal, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Is eating and everything any different to what it was like before?"

"I can still taste things and kind of feel how they are, like greasiness or the sweetness of a donut." I replied after taking a few seconds to think about it. "But everything is...muted, it's like being able to taste things at only say a quarter of what they were. But you can still feel the temperature of what you're eating or drinking, it's why I like tea so much as opposed to everything else."

"Oh okay, that's kind of sad." Steven said, looking back into his cereal, looking a bit down.

"It's okay Steven, I got over it pretty quickly. You'd actually be surprised what you can get done without having to eat two to three times a day." I stated, trying to cheer him up a bit, as well as distract him from the topic.

"Really? Like what?" He asked, curious now. His breakfast forgotten.

Both of our attentions were diverted though when the temple door opened and Amethyst walked out with a yawn. She walked right past us and went straight to the fridge, pulling out the milk and opened it. We watched almost in awe as she simply tilted her head back and downed the rest of the milk. She gave a subtle belch before looking at us with brighter eyes.

"Ahhhh, MUCH better, morning Ste-man." Amethyst said, rubbing his head as she walked past around to the couch. "I hope you're ready for your 'grounding' today."

"Oooh Maaan, I completely forgot about that!" Steven whinged, resting his head on the counter. "Oh well, it can't be that bad... right?"

"Depends on what the punishment is I suppose." I replied sipping my tea. "You DID kind of release a Home world Gem which may or may not come back and try to hurt us at some point."

"And as such needs to be punished." Garnet said as she appeared beside me, making me jump, my tea spilling as I did.

"Oh- Dang it." I muttered under my breath as I stood up and got some paper towels to clean up the mess.

The sound of the temple door opening caught my attention this time, I gave Garnet a wary glance at that and she smiled back. I looked at the door as Pearl walked through and it closed behind her, she gave me a small smile before walking up next to Garnet.

"So, are you ready for your grounding?" Pearl asked Steven who lifted his head off of the kitchen counter to look at them, I noticed Pearl eye me as I cleaned up my mess.

"I guess so..." Steven replied sadly, looking back into his cereal.

"Are you sure we have to do this?" I asked catching the Gem's attentions, at this point I was finished cleaning. "It looks like Steven feels pretty bad already."

"Awww come on, when else am I gonna get to use this shovel?" Amethyst complained, holding up said shovel.

"I-I don't think you guys know what 'Grounded' actually means." I started, slowly walking between them and Steven.

Before things could escalate any further an exhausted Greg burst into the house, panting from running I don't know how far.

"Dad?" Steven asked, his sadness replaced with a bit of confusion mixed with worry.

"Aaah, You guys better come check this out." Greg stated, sweat dripping down his forehead while he gestured with his thumb out to the beach.

As soon as he did we all noticed something different outside, a certain lack of the colour 'blue'. We all rushed outside, stopping at first on the railing but we soon made our way down in a panic to what would have been the waters edge where the townspeople had gathered.

We joined them in staring out into the desert that used to be the ocean floor, boats sitting lop sided on the sand. I noticed Connie staring out to the ocean floor with the other humans in a bit of fear, but she turned to Steven and I saw Steven give her a sad little wave which she returned. Awww they were cute.

"The Ocean!" Steven exclaimed, shock and sadness evident on his features "It's gone!"

I stood and lamented the missing sound of waves lapping against the shoreline, but was rudely brought out of my mourning by the Mayor and his loudspeaker.

"Hey, It's those magical ladies!" His megaphone screamed at us, he quickly ran up to us in anger and frustration. "What's going on here?!"

"The ocean is gone." Garnet replied calmly. "Obviously."

"That's right, now it's just a desert." The mayor said back, not dropping his megaphone as it basically screamed at Garnet. "Nobody wants to take a vacation to DESERT CITY! OH we're gonna lose all of our summer business!"

"And all of the babes!" Lars added, joining in on the lamenting. I gave him a quiet glare which he didn't notice.

"AS MAYOR I DEMAND YOU EXPLAIN THIS IMME-" I walked over and snatched the megaphone from Mayor Dewey, before turning it around and clearing my throat.

"People of Beach City, return to your homes and resume your normal human lives." I started grabbing their attention as well as the Gems. "This is Gem related business, soon your Ocean shall be returned to you."

The crowd murmured a bit after that as I handed the megaphone back to the Mayor and gave him a thumbs up and a smile. It was a bit forced on my part but it felt good reassuring these people that everything was going to be okay.

"Yes..." Mayor Dewey said to himself before looking at the Gems and I. He quickly dusted himself off and made himself look as presentable as he could before standing and addressing the people once again. "Yes people of Beach City, do not fear for your business's or your livelihoods, for we are protected by these lovely magical women! Go back to preparing for the summer rush! When the ocean returns it will mark this year as the BEST year for summer we have had yet!"

While the murmuring didn't turn into cheers like I'm sure Dewey hoped it would, the people's chatter seemed to lighten a bit and they began to walk back up what used to be the Beach towards their homes and stores.

"Spoken like a leader." Pearl stated proudly with a warm smile pointed in my direction, I couldn't help but blush a bit and smile back.

"This was the work of Lapis Lazuli." Garnet stated, still staring out onto what used to be the ocean.

"Lapis Lazuli?" Steven asked, confused once again.

"She's the Gem you released from the mirror." Pearl stated with a bit of irritation in her voice.

"But, she's a Gem like us." Steven started, still confused. "Why would she want to steal the ocean?"

"There's a lot you still don't know about Gems Steven." Pearl replied a bit sadly.

"I thought you guys said no more secrets?" Steven complained, looking a good bit frustrated.

"I'm sorry Steven, but I don't know whether you're ready to know yet." Pearl stated, the sad expression on her face staying as she said so.

There seemed a tense moment where Steven looked at us before looking out to the ocean, he gave a sigh before turning to me.

"So are we gonna go save the ocean?" Steven asked, a serious look on his face.

I gave a quick look to the other Gems who nodded their support, apart from Garnet who gave a thumbs up. I gave a smile and turned back to Steven.

"Yep, let's go get our ocean back." I stated with a smile. I could tell by his smile and reaction I'd given him a bit of confidence in this. I remembered the episode though and looked out to sea, knowing that there was no warp pad in the middle of the ocean...well not since the sea spire collapsed. I turned to Greg. "Hey Greg, we could use a little help."

"Sure, whatever you need." Greg replied with a happy smirk, despite the current situation.

"You think you could drive us there?" I stated, turning to look at the ocean floor. "I don't know how long, or hard it'll be...but-"

"Say no more, I'd love to help you guys. As well as spend a little time with Steven." Greg said with a wink. "Just let us grab some supplies for the road okay? Me and the Steve-Meister need to eat."

"We'll wait here for you." Garnet said, with her usual stolidness.

While we waited for Steven and Greg to come back we stood and watched the ocean floor while we waited, looking out onto what was once peaceful waves.

"Was...was Steven, okay this morning?" Pearl asked with a bit of hesitation, she turned her head to me for an answer and I could see the worry on her face.

"He's... still a little confused and frustrated I think, which is understandable." I replied. Turning my head to look back at the beach house, I could see Greg and Steven rummaging around in the kitchen. "What are we going to tell Greg?"

"We don't 'HAVE' to tell him? Do we?" Pearl responded with a bit of distaste, obviously not liking the idea. I wasn't sure I liked it either considering I was basically his reincarnated dead lover, GOD THAT FELT WRONG TO THINK.

"He deserves to know. even if their love was true, he was lied to as well." Garnet stated, turning to look at the house, she adjusted her glasses as she looked inside. "We're too late anyway, Greg's asked how things have been since he last saw Steven, and Steven's just finished telling him everything."

"Oh...Sugar honey iced tea." I said mainly to myself, looking back at the house with a bit more trepidation now.

"What? Is that a new blend you'd like to try?" Pearl asked, completely perplexed. Amethyst giggled a bit at Pearls naivety.

"Nah P, She's just trying not to swear." Amethyst explained, Pearl raised a confused eyebrow and Amethyst sighed as she continued. "Put the first letter of each word together."

"O S h i- Pink!" Pearl exclaimed, her face going a bit blue from an embarrassed blush. "I didn't think you could be so rude!"

"I've said... much worse before." I explained, going a bit Pink myself as I confessed. "I decided to stop swearing after I started living with you guys."

"Oh... Well thank you very much for your efforts, My Diamond." Pearl stated, adding a smile and a nod with the salute.

"No problem, wouldn't want Steven walking around saying the F word." I said, although the thought of it made me stifle a giggle. Thankfully no one noticed.

Silence returned after that and it was a good few minutes after that Greg's van drove up to us joined by Lion, with Steven and Connie on his back. The Gem's and I shared a quick look between each other at Connie being here but didn't really say anything about it, if she was willing to help and Garnet didn't see anything wrong with her coming along then we were fine.

When Greg opened his van and saw me I felt the other Gems tense up. Pearl who stood by my side put a protective hand on my shoulder, even though I knew I wouldn't need it knowing Greg.

"Hey. Steven uh.. kind of filled me in about... Well everything." Greg stated nervously glancing at me before looking at the other Gems as well. "Are you...well are you okay?"

"I... Yes, thanks for asking." I replied, not having to force a smile this time. "How about yourself, everyone else took the news pretty hard." I asked in return, a little worried about the answer.

"Steven's already explained that you're a different person, including the whole you used to be human thing." Greg started, sitting down in the back of his van as he continued. "It's... well It's pretty wild to think that something even remotely LIKE this could even happen, but I knew Rose. And while you two are pretty similar, I know you're not the same person."

"Thank you, again." I said, the smile not leaving my face. I didn't believe I'd be THIS relieved to hear that. "We should probably get going, who knows how long we're going to have to go to get there."

"If we leave now we'll get there before tomorrow." Garnet simply stated, already hopping into the passenger side seat. "Also, I'm calling shotgun."

Pearl squeezed my shoulder and I gave her a smile as we both got into the back of Greg's van, Amethyst joining us in the back. It was a bit cramped with some of Greg's stuff in the back but we managed to all fit in.

Soon enough we were on our way, leaving a trail of fine dust and sand behind us as Garnet pointed out the correct ways to go.

"Hey, why don't we stick on some tunes?" Greg suggested, reaching between Pearl and I for a CD sticking out of a small zip up bag that seemed to be just for CD's. "This one was one of Rose's favourite's." He added as he stuck the unlabelled CD into the car's music player.

'Wait, how does he know which one's which if they're unlabelled?' I thought to myself before some heavy rock started playing. 'Huh, this isn't actually too bad.' I caught myself thinking as it played.

"What do you guys think of it?" Greg asked, looking between Garnet and us.

Garnet then took that moment to tactically roll out of the car and away from the music. I giggled a good bit at the reaction and suggested Greg turn it off before moving into the front myself, leaving Pearl and Amethyst sitting awkwardly at the back. That changed as well though as Amethyst simply moved onto Greg's pile of stuff as it shifted around in the back, she seemed almost catlike as she worked around a bit making herself comfortable among the junk.

"Not a rock fan huh?" Greg asked, looking in the rear view mirror. "Should I stop?"

He was answered as the van rocked slightly but settled as Garnet landed on the top and made herself comfortable.

"No, I think we're good for now." I stated, sticking my head out the window to get a look at Garnet just to make sure. She gave me thumbs up for my trouble and I brought myself back down into the passenger side seat of the van.

Greg shut off the music and gave a sigh, glancing again in my direction but keeping his eyes ahead of him.

"So...uhhh what's you're favourite type of music?" Greg asked, obviously still feeling a bit awkward around me. I didn't blame him.

"I like all kinds of music, but I suppose mostly one hit wonder type stuff. Mostly around the seventies or eighties." I replied easily, being a lover of music I'd had some time to think about it. "Although I do enjoy some stuff from before that as well, all the way back to simple sailing shanties."

"Really? Wow, that's uh... kind of an impressive range of music to like." Greg stated as he thought about it. "But you don't like stuff from say the nineties and onward?"

I hummed a bit in thought before eventually replying "I like some stuff after the eighties, but I feel more of a connection with more songs from before then."

"So what're some of your favourite bands then? I might have a few disks."

My smile grew wide.

* * *

The morning passed into midday then the afternoon and slowly into night as the van kept rolling forward. At this point we'd gone through most of Greg's 'good' CD's and were cruising along in silence. Once the tank started running low Greg hopped out and filled it back up with a can of spare diesel he had in the van. Pearl and Greg switched driving about then as the night slowly crept up on us. I fidgeted a bit in my seat to make myself more comfortable but was mainly enjoying the scenery, or lack of I suppose.

Greg and Amethyst were asleep in the back of the van but I still sat in the passenger seat, now next to Pearl as she drove onward. Occasionally Garnet would stick her head down next to Pearl's window and point out the next set of directions.

As we came up to a cluster of probably now dead coral and steam vents from the ocean floor Pearl slowed the van, so as not to hit anything. I was surprised when Lion walked up next to the van on Pearl's side, mainly I was surprised to see Steven still awake. Although I found it cute how Connie was clinging to him as she slept behind him, her hollow glasses askew since her face was pressed against his back.

"I just can't believe that Lapis would do this." Steven stated, a sad expression on his face as he thought about the cracked Home world Gem. "Gems shouldn't fight each other."

"We...We're always fighting Gems actually." Pearl stated sadly, sparing Steven a glance.

Steven gasped at that and turned to Pearl "What?"

"Oh... Er how do I put this?" Pearl asked herself as she focused back onto the road and adjusted to avoid some rocky coral jutted out for the sand head of us. "All Gems aren't necessarily... good."

"All those Monsters we fight used to be just like us!" Amethyst exclaimed excitedly after pushing her way to the front, I was a bit startled by how quickly she woke up. "Right Pearl?"

After giving Amethyst a look of sad frustration Pearl replied "Yes. But they've become corrupted and broken. We have to take care of them, capture them, subdue them, contain them! It's... well It's the best we can do for them, for now."

"Are... are the Diamonds corrupted too?" Steven asked naively, I went a little pink as he did so and answered before Pearl could.

"No Steven, they... When they found out I'd been shattered, even though we know I wasn't. Well they didn't want the war to go on for any longer, so they attacked the Earth using all their power combined." I stated, looking sadly over at Pearl and through the roof to Garnet above. With a sigh I continued "Rose was able to save Garnet and Pearl in the blast but... every other Gem on earth..."

my speech was brought to an end as we came upon the ocean, stretched up into the sky as a pillar of water. It almost seemed to glow under Lapis' manipulation, giving it a mystical look. I could hear Steven and Connie both gasp at the majesty of the sight as well, I even heard Greg from the back of the van shuffle forward to take a look and soon his head was next to ours looking through the wind-shield at the glowing pillar of water.

"Guys I just had the best idea for an album cover." Greg stated in awe.

Pearl drove the van up close and we all got out, standing next to each other as we looked at the ocean pillar ahead of us, stretching up into the heavens.

"This is it." Garnet stated, her fists clenching as she glared at the pillar of sea water. "Lapis Lazuli is here."

"I don't understand, what does she want with the ocean?" Pearl asked with concern, looking between Garnet and I for an answer.

"Woah! Look at all this!" Connie exclaimed as she walked up to it in wonder, interrupting any answer Garnet or I might have had. "It's like a giant aquarium!"

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE!" We heard Lapis' voice yell from the very water itself, her voice seemed to make the tower ripple as it resonated.

"She's sensed us." Garnet stated, tensing up and preparing to summon her weapons.

"Lapis Lazuli!" We heard Steven yell, it was at this point I'd noticed he'd walked slightly ahead of us so that he was at the head of the group. "It's me! Steven!"

In response the very water of the tower bulged out and slowly formed into Lapis' face, her voice's projection now having a centralised source.

"GO AWAY." Lapis ordered again forcefully, anger still evident on the watery features of this representation of her. "Before I make you." She added threateningly.

"But we're Beach summer fun buddies!" Steven pleaded earnestly.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The watery face screamed as it mimicked Steven's voice, morphing into him for a few seconds before reverting back. "You're ONE of THEM. One of the 'Crystal Gems'."

"Not entirely a bad thing!" I yelled back, getting a glare from Lapis' watery face in return.

"But- but we're all Gems! Please, just let us help you." Steven continued to plead. I think we were going to have another talk with Steven after this, at the very least I would. He couldn't afford to be so ignorant about this stuff, especially when talking to Home World Gems like Lapis.

"You don't understand." Lapis replied sadly, the expression on her watery face morphing to show such. "Just leave me alone."

"We're not leaving Lapis!" Steven stated getting frustrated. Lapis' face disappeared back into the sky high pillar of sea water and as it did Steven ran up and started slapping his hands onto the water demandingly "Not until you give us back our ocean!"

A hand made out of water reached out from the pillar with a jerk, grabbing Steven by his shirt. We then saw an avatar of water shaped like Steven step out from the pillar, still holding him up.

"I said, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Lapis said through the Steven shaped avatar, punching Steven back to us.

I stepped into Steven's trajectory and caught him putting him down safely, but the look of utter betrayal on his face made my heart wrench. Lapis had hurt Steven.

"Steven, Greg, Connie. Get behind us." I stated, glaring down the water avatar with as much venom as I could muster. I was pretty sure at this point I'd started glowing Pink with anger. "NO ONE, punches my Brother and gets away with it."

From the water ahead of us more avatar's emerged as well, each one shaped like one of us. As the other Crystal Gems summoned their weapons their mirror images did as well. I didn't even wait as I ran forward, the ground behind me cracking from the force. Within a second I was in front of the avatars and I simply punched my avatar, which stood in the middle of them.

A wave of Pink energy was sent out from the shock wave and it dispersed a good amount of water, not only from the avatars but from the pillar itself.

'Wow, I had no idea I was this powerful when I'm not holding anything back.' I thought to myself as I watched the pillar slowly reform.

"Do NOT fight us Lapis, do NOT fight me." I stated as the watery Avatars of the crystal Gems formed again ahead of me, I was a bit hesitant to keep fighting if THAT was how much damage I could do. Then again she DID hurt Steven's feelings... "You do NOT want me to have to come up there."

"Even if you're a Diamond, You are NOT going to stop me from having my FREEDOM!" Lapis yelled through her avatars. As they ran towards me I punched again and they dispersed, the water they were made from rippling as Lapis lost control of it and simply falling into the sand below.

"Free from what? Us? The Earth? The Mirror?" I asked with anger still in my tone as the pillar reformed again, a little slower this time.

"YES!" The pillar of sea water in front of me shook with Lapis' voice as she responded, her own face forming once again on the side. "And you're not going to stop me!"

"You don't have too!" I heard Steven yell as he ran around the Gems behind me to my side, the other Gems calling his name to stop him from approaching the fight.

"Steven?" I asked curious about why he'd come up here where it wasn't safe.

"You don't have to fight! You can just promise not to say anything about us!" Steven yelled again, looking between Lapis' watery face on the Pillar to me. "That way everyone can get what they want right?"

"You don't understand Steven." Lapis started as I thought over Steven's words, the Crystal Gem's behind me probably thinking about them as well. "They would never even THINK about letting me go, I know too much!"

"Pink, you don't want to hurt Lapis right? You'd let her go?" Steven asked, before adding "As long as she doesn't say anything about us to Home World?"

I thought about for a few more seconds, as I did the pink glow around me faded and I looked between Steven's hopeful face and Lapis' watery one.

"You really care about her, don't you Steven?" I asked, looking back at him for a response.

"She's my beach summer fun buddy, and you're my sister. I don't like seeing you two fight." Steven stated, the sadness evident in his tone and the look on his face.

"...Fine." I stated, crossing my arms and glaring at the image of Lapis as it's expression changed into one of shock. "But she's got to apologise for hitting you first."

"W-wait, what?" Lapis asked, the disbelief of my decision still evident on her face. I could swear I saw the whole tower ripple for a second as she lost concentration due to surprise. "Seriously? Just like that?"

"At the very least I agree to help you as long as you apologise to Steven for punching him." I replied, looking down onto Steven's smiling face. I hoped I was making the right decision. "And if you don't let Home World know we're still here."

"But-but why? Why are you making it so easy?" Lapis asked, confused and frustrated. "Why don't you hate me?"

"Oh I definitely don't like you, you hurt Steven. And his feelings." I stated, glaring into the eyes of Lapis' water face. "But I can't hate someone for being an idiot."

"Hey! That's not very nice!" Steven interrupted, frowning at me. "Don't start fighting again!"

"No, she's right." Lapis stated, the representation of her face showing how defeated she felt at that exact moment. She looked positively crestfallen, mainly in herself I assumed. "I didn't know what I was thinking taking all of the Earth's water, I guess I thought that if I stretched the ocean far enough... but it never would have worked. This wouldn't have happened if my Gem wasn't cracked."

"You literally ran away from the only Gems around even remotely capable of fixing that, which if Pearl HAS had you for a good amount of time. You would know." I stated, raising a lazy eyebrow. "Therefore, you're an Idiot."

"Hey! What did I just say?" Steven said, hands on his hips.

"She hasn't apologised yet so it's fair game." I replied, nodding to myself at my own logic.

"I-I'm sorry for hurting you Steven, You've been the only one really trying to help me. And all I've done is push you away, because of something you don't even really understand." Lapis stated, before the big watery head turned to me. "And I knew about Rose's healing powers, everyone did. But she's gone, so how am I supposed to be fixed?" She added, a little bit of frustration making it's way back into her tone.

"Oh I can fix you! I have magic healing spit!" Steven stated, a big grin on his face.

"Wait, you have healing powers?" Lapis replied in disbelief, I kept my mouth shut this time. As hard as it was I kept my word.

"Yeah, so will you let me fix you?" Steven asked, hoping for a positive response.

"I'll bring you up to me, but your sister has to stay here with the other Crystal Gems." Lapis stated, giving me a slight glare. "I trust you, Steven. But not her."

"If you do ANYTHING bad to Steven, I'm putting you back in a mirror." I threatened glowing a dark pink as I said so, the aura I was giving off almost red. I took a deep breath to try and calm myself before turning to Steven. "Steven, please be careful." I asked as my glow faded away.

I gave one last glare at Lapis before turning around and returning to the van. I stopped a bit away from the other gems when I noticed them looking at me with a bit of hesitation, though Pearl actually took the first steps forward.

"Are you okay my Diamond?" She asked, more concerned for me than anything it seemed at the moment. "It looked like you uh... lost your temper for a moment."

"I'm sorry about that, especially if it scared any of you. I didn't mean to get that mad." I admitted, a little embarrassed at myself. "I guess I'm a bit possessive when it comes to family." I added, looking back and watching Steven get drawn into the tower of water and start his ascension to the top.

"So that's how strong Diamonds are? No wonder you guys are the top dogs back on Home world." Amethyst stated while staring at me in a little awe after her fear of my anger left. "You've got a mean left hook P!"

"So Steven's going to confront her alone?" Garnet asked, looking up at the tower, I was thankful for the change of subject.

"He's the only one of us she trusts." I admitted sadly. "He's our only chance at solving this peacefully."

"I see him healing her, and then she just... leaves." Garnet stated, a tone of sadness in her voice as she frowned. "This could have gone better."

"It could have gone much worse as well." I said, catching her attention. "We're all here, safe and unharmed. The future is unwritten, there's still a chance things will get better."

"There will still be MANY challenges ahead." Garnet replied, looking up at the tower with me. "And today isn't finished yet."

As if the tower itself heard her words it seemed to vibrate before slowly breaking into separate chunks, the tower was collapsing.

"The whole towers coming down!" Garnet yelled, she searched frantically for any sign of Steven, as did the rest of us.

"My son is up there!" Greg cried with fear, rushing forwards trying to spot him.

There was a loud roar and we finally noticed that Connie had jumped on Lion and had opened a pink portal which they jumped into, a few tense seconds later as blocks of water fell and broke onto the sand around us another portal opened up and they jumped back through with Steven safe and sound.

Steven saw the water falling around us and his Gem started to glow bright, extending his hands outward a bubble formed around all of us. We scrambled towards the van and hopped either in or on it as the current of so much water falling down pushed us away from where the tower once stood. We must have been moving at quite a pace because we soon noticed coral and structures we recognised from our trip here zip past us.

"We need to go left! Now!" Garnet stated urgently as we moved at speed.

"Uhh I can't really steer this thing!" Steven replied with some panic, a little strained at holding the bubble.

I jumped off the back of the van and leant against the back of the bubble, summoning my shield just outside of it. With a bit of concentration I grew it large enough to act as rudimentary rudder and we were back to going in the right direction towards home.

"That's done it!" Garnet said from the van as I concentrated on keeping the shields form from breaking with so much pressure against it.

Few minutes later we emerged from the sea and were floating a few feet above our beach, the bubble popped and the van dropped onto the sand. Everyone took a quick sigh of relief before whooping in celebration.

"Now that's how you do it!" Amethyst exclaimed, giving Steven a loving punch in the shoulder.

The stress of the journey seemed to have finally done the van in as we all heard a creak and the vans wheels broke upward under the weight of everyone. Still, that didn't stop most of the celebration as all the people from town flocked back out to the beach and met up with Steven and Connie, who excitedly explained their adventure. Garnet, Pearl and I stood off to the side watching them celebrate.

"So, Lapis Lazuli made it off planet." Garnet stated, her voice calmer than I assume she was. Pearl on the other hand gave a worried look to the sky.

"What does this mean for us?" Pearl asked, looking back down at Steven and the Townspeople.

"If she keeps her promises, nothing. But it is Home world she's going too." I stated, giving a melancholy smile to the group ahead of me. "But we can think about that later, for today lets celebrate. We won."

"All we can do now is wait anyway, I think Pink is right." Garnet said, putting a friendly hand on my shoulder. I appreciated the smile she sent my way as well. "Let's enjoy ourselves until we have another problem to solve."

I gave another genuine smile, the weight of thoughts about the future lifted for now. A looked to Steven and saw him staring at the stars that were starting to fade out of the night sky as the morning came and started to walk towards him.

I shouldn't let my Brother celebrate alone, us Diamond's have to stick together.

* * *

A/N WHEW, well that took a lot longer than I thought it would. Ended up a lot longer too.

So Lapis escapes back to Home world with information about the Crystal Gems and Pink Diamond, well this is going to be fun.

remember to leave a review if you liked what you saw, or even if you didn't. and Stay Tuned for more!


	12. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 The Engineer The Soldier and The Queen

* * *

"My Diamond! We're leaving for a mission!" Pearl shouted from the Beach House. Steven and I looked up from our sand castles we were building, a replica of one of the buildings I remembered from Home World and a small keep that Steven had made, a little twig with a leaf on it as its flag.

"We'll be there in a second!" I replied with a short yell back.

"Cooool another mission!" Steven said excitedly, jumping to his feet. "It'll be so cool if we go to a new place!"

"Well there's only one way to find out right?" I stated, getting up as well. I patted myself down to get rid of the sand and briskly walked to the temple, Steven close behind with a grin that would make the Joker envious. The door creaked open and we saw the Gems already standing on the warp pad, Pearl beckoning us forward.

"Come on you two!" Pearl said with a look partly of frustration. "Garnet said that the corrupted gem may not spend much more time this close to the warp pad."

We both nodded and hurried onto the warp pad then soon we were moving through the warp stream, very soon after that we arrived at our destination. we dropped gently down onto our feet, some more gentle then others, but when I looked around I dropped my jaw. The land around us was beautiful, a swathe of pink and yellow chest high flowers adorned fields of bright green grass around us.

"It's so pretty!" I exclaimed, stars in my eyes as I took in the wonder of nature around us.

"We can enjoy it later, right now we need to focus on finding and bubbling the corrupted gem." Garnet stated, taking the first step off the pad before continuing forward.

"Yeah, lets go kick some butt!" Amethyst added with a cheer, visibly excited for the coming fight.

"Yeah!" Steven shouted as well, joining Amethyst in running forward to catch up to Garnet.

"Shall we my Diamond?" Pearl asked with a smile and a bow, although I could tell by her smile that she was simply being dramatic because she enjoyed it.

"Of course." I replied in a regal manner, giving a quick giggle before we both walked off of the warp pad ourselves.

With a quick walk we soon joined up with everyone else as we made our way through the flowers, Garnet leading us towards our quarry. While I couldn't properly see Steven and Amethyst I knew where they were just by looking at the parting of the flowers ahead.

*ACHOO*

Pearl jumped a bit from the sneeze and I gave a little laugh at her expense for it, she gave me a glare but quickly turned her attention to Steven.

"Steven? Are you okay? You're not getting a cold are you?" She asked, worry evident in the tone of her voice.

"No Pearl, I'm fine." Steven replied with a slight sniffle. "Just some stuff from these flowers got in my nose."

"Alright then, but don't be afraid to sit out the fight if you need too." Pearl suggested, still concerned.

"I'll be fine." Steven stated, I couldn't see it but I could hear his smile as he spoke.

* * *

Things were not fine, no not at all.

The fifteen foot tall corrupted Gem which bore down on us and split us apart with a mighty slam of its feet, shaking the very ground told me that. On top of everything all this fighting was spreading pollen from the flowers thick in the air and Steven was sneezing like a madman, thankfully he had the foresight too sit off to the side of the battle while he did so.

I summoned my shield and looked over to Pearl who threw her spear at the monster of a Gem. The spear hit it's mark and stuck in it's side but the spear was grabbed by the Gem using its pointed mouth and was thrown to the side. While the blow had clearly damaged it that only seemed to make it madder. Still, that spear seemed the only thing that could pierce it's hide currently.

"I'll cover you!" Garnet shouted to Pearl as she ran to retrieve her spear.

Seeing this I ran forward as well, ready to once again join the fray. Garnet gave it a solid punch to the jaw as it swung at Pearl, the distraction being enough of a chance for Pearl to roll in and grab the spear.

I noticed the Gem bringing up it's other claw to swipe at Garnet but intervened myself, my shield making a sort of reverbed dinging sound as the claw struck. Seeing an opening I used my shield to push the corrupted Gem up onto it's hind legs, once it was there I noticed a purple spiked whip wrap around it neck from behind keeping it in place.

"Thanks Amethyst!" I yelled with much appreciation as I backed away a bit, watching the corrupted Gem struggle against the binding.

"No probs P!" Amethyst yelled out, a bit of the strain from holding it back evident in her voice.

It was at this point we noticed a faint humming sound and turned to Pearl who seemed to be gathering energy at the tip of her spear.

"Get back!" She yelled to us as she brought her arm up to throw the deadly weapon.

With a guttural yell I didn't expect from her the spear was thrown just as the whip was released by Amethyst. When the spear struck the corrupted gem in the stomach it sunk it like before but soon erupted with an explosion of pale blue light, which poofed the Gem, and ended our battle.

"Woooo! Yeah go Pearl!" I yelled with a big grin on my face as Garnet walked up and put the Gem in a bubble.

"We should get back to the temple." Garnet stated simply, but she smiled and gave us all a thumbs up after before adding "But good work you three, you too Steven."

"Bup I bibn't do anyding..." Steven said through his blocked nose.

"Come on dude, you were like emotional support." Amethyst said, trying to cheer him up as we made our way back to the warp pad.

"It's alright bro, you can help us next time when you're not sneezing like a...like a... okay I've got nothing." I added, scratching my face as I tried to think of a reference I could use.

"Still, I can't believe that went so well!" Pearl stated, a big smile on her face. I could tell by the smile that she really enjoyed herself in that fight.

"Yeah, it was kinda awesome how you threw your spear and it just went like Bing-Bong! Booooshk!" Amethyst said, emphasising the explosion sound.

I gave a quick giggle at the rendition of events while Pearl blushed and replied "And the way you were circling around it? Almost looked like strategy."

"Y-yeah, well... I can do that stuff sometimes too." Amethyst replied, blushing a bit with embarrassment from the praise.

"Hey, wait up!" Steven yelled from the flowers around us as we emerged out into the open field where the warp pad was. "Sowwy again dat I couldn't helb much. I think I hab a-" *ACHOOO* "Sorry Garnet." He added, as we all looked at the goop left on Garnets leg.

"I'll live." Garnet responded, walking back into the flower field and using them to clean it off while the rest of us made our way to the warp pad.

"Steven please sneeze into your anti cubital fassa." Pearl said, more than asked. Bird mom activated.

"My wah?" Steven asked as we stepped onto the warp pad, Garnet joining us soon after.

"Your inner elbow." I stated simply, pointing it out while Pearl nodded sagely behind me.

We activated the warp pad and were in the middle of transit when Steven took in some deep breaths again, obviously getting ready to sneeze.

"Ha ha! DO it at Pearl!" Amethyst said, making Pearl cringe in disgust.

"I got this." I said grabbing Steven and turning him around facing away from all of us.

***ACHOOOO***

We were sent flying up the warp stream by the sneeze, the rest of the Gems gasping in surprise. Holding on tight to Steven I saw the edge of the warp stream coming up and tried to stop our movement somehow but it was to late.

We hit the edge of the warp stream and started passing through, thankfully though we didn't go all the way through and simply saw...wow that's kind of pretty.

"Woah." Steven muttered as he and I took in the chaotic majesty of...where ever we were, a puff of air escaped his mouth as he did so into our cold surroundings. It almost seemed like space, but with strange coloured orbs floating around haphazardly in clusters and lightning flashing between what seemed to be predetermined places.

Both of us heard a faint chiming sound ring throughout our surroundings and saw a beam of light shoot from somewhere originating from our right towards our left.

"Is that another warp stream?" I muttered to myself, memories of the show coming back to a specific episode. 'Peridot. So that bitch Lapis did tell on us, I swear if she let the Diamonds know who I am...'

"I think so." Steven said, the cold semi curing his allergies for the moment. his voice brought me out of my semi-murderous thoughts. wait- Semi murderous?

At that point I felt something grab my ankle and we were pulled back into our own stream by Garnet, who let go as we floated next to the other Crystal Gems.

"Are you two all right? It's dangerous to stick your head out of the stream!" Pearl exclaimed worriedly, checking us bother over for any damage.

"There's very little air out there, and it's very cold." Garnet added, flicking away the icicles that had formed under Steven's nose.

"You guys, we saw someding warping out there!" Steven exclaimed, grabbing the Gem's attention.

"Steven, that's just not possible. You're visions probably still blurry from the pollen." Pearl said, a mildly worried look on her face as she said so. "If that were the case then Pink would have seen it as well."

"Actually... we did see something warping." I stated, getting gasps from the other Gems.

"But- but that's not possible!" Pearl stammered with worry in her voice. She sent a pleading look my way, as if to ask me to tell her I was joking. "W-what did it look like?"

"It was strange, kind of like an orb of some kind." I stated, thinking back on both the silhouette Steven and I had seen as well as what I remembered from the show. "That was as much as I could see from far away, it was small though."

"Wait, but what does this even mean?" Amethyst asked, looking up at us. Confusion was evident on her face, it was likely nothing like this had really ever happened before.

"It can only mean two things, either Lapis flew back and is warping around." Garnet gave us all a look before giving a distraught sigh, and continued. "Or, it's something from Home World."

"Lets... just assume that it's the second one." I stated, grabbing Garnets attention. "What exactly should we do about it?"

"I don't know." Garnet said solemnly after a few seconds of silence.

"Well we can't do nothing!" Amethyst stated, a little agitated.

"We could start by looking for it." Steven suggested, sniffling a bit again. "We could split up!"

"Well whatever it or they are they have to be looking for something right?" I suggested, catching the attention of the Gems again. "So besides us what's on Earth that would be valuable to Home World?"

"Well a lot of the previous Pink Diamond's artefacts are still here on the planet, but if they wanted those then they would have come and taken them millennia ago." Pearl said, her brow bent in thought. "And if they were after us then they would have sent some soldiers, a quartz or a few Rubys. No, I think this might be some sort of reconnaissance device. Perhaps to check on the status of Earth itself, or maybe to confirm the existence of Pink Diamond." Pearl ended, sending me a worried look.

"If that happens we'll have to deal with it, for now lets head home and get Steven some rest while we plan out the day ahead." I stated, receiving nods from everyone.

-THE NEXT DAY-

"I still think we should capture, not destroy." I suggested, leaning back into the patio char with a cup of tea in my hand. Currently only Pearl and I were having a cup but Garnet had asked for one anyway, it sat in front of her getting cold. Amethyst sat to the side, sipping some tomato soup from a juice box. the patio chair creaked under her as she swung back and forth on it, her feet resting on the table. I had to admit I didn't think she had enough balance to do that.

"You're still going under the assumption that this thing that you saw is not a Gem?" Pearl asked, placing down her tea cup as she joined the conversation.

"There's possibly a lot riding on this, is making assumptions like that a smart thing to do?" Garnet added, sending a questioning glance my way.

"After my chat with Steven before he went to bed last night I'm sure what we saw was not a Gem." I reiterated for what seemed like the seventh time. "And I'm pretty sure my Sis-Ahem, er the other Diamond's wouldn't try to make another type of Gem. While technology might of probably advanced a bit I can almost assure you standard Gem production probably hasn't, they're pretty traditionalist."

"Be that as it may we still haven't decided on how we're going to catch whatever it was you and Steven saw in the stream." Garnet stated. "So far all we have to rely on is my future vision, but without knowing what we're looking for it's between difficult and impossible to pinpoint any one location."

"Besides all of the warp pads, the active ones anyway." I stated, getting a nod from Amethyst and Pearl.

"It would kind of take all day to check all of them though." Amethyst pointed out, lazing back in her chair.

"But we are all in agreement that this is probably from Home World right?" I asked, getting a few hesitant nods. "Then we should proceed carefully, thoughtfully. What would Home World want with our Warp?"

"You mean besides using it?" Amethyst asked sarcastically, although this seemed to trigger a thought in Garnet. I'd been hoping leading the conversation this way would trigger that.

"The galaxy warp, they're going to try and fix it!" Garnet stated, adjusting her glasses as she double checked with her future vision.

"We should go stop them immediately!" Pearl yelled with a bit of fear in her voice. She stood up from her chair, tea forgotten as she got ready to leave.

The sound of the front door opening distracted us though as Steven came outside and gave us a curious glance, Most of us awkwardly glanced back.

"Are you guys alright? I heard yelling." Steven asked calmly while he held open the door.

"Everything is fine Steven, you can go back to playing your video game now." Garnet stated, giving him a smile and a thumbs up. "We'll come and get you when we're ready to go."

We waited until the door had closed, but almost as soon as it did Pearl turned to Garnet with a worried glance.

"It isn't happening right now Pearl, and we can't go there and wait for them without leaving Steven unprotected." Garnet stating, adjusting her glasses again. She frowned as she did so though, and she glanced over at me. "We'll have to be quick in destroying them though, otherwise Home World may learn of your existence."

The air grew tense at this revelation, but I practically felt everyone's resolve strengthen. Amethyst gave me a cocky smile and a thumbs up, although I could tell the smile was forced. Pearl gave me a worried look, but it was replaced by one of resolve when she noticed my worry. She smiled as well and walked over beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"They'll have to get through us to even know of you My Diamond, although perhaps it would be best if you stayed behind." Pearl suggested her smile straining, mainly because she could tell by the frown on my face that I'd be saying no.

"Her presence will be needed." Garnet said, interrupting my argument and grabbing Pearl's attention. "If the worse happens and Home World Gem's do make it to Earth via the galaxy warp, we'll need her to distract them so that we can destroy the galaxy warp. It's the only way we can be completely certain that the Diamonds not learn of her."

"But wouldn't that be letting a Home World Gem know in the first place?" Amethyst pointed out.

"Yes it does seem rather counter productive." Pearl added, her face scrunched up in confusion.

"I think I get it, it won't matter if they know if we break their only method of travel back home and then bubble them...Right?" I said, thinking the logic through. It made sense, but it also gave me another idea. "That relies on me being REALLY distracting though."

"You've got all of today to think on it." Garnet replied, sending me a confident smile before standing up and walking towards the house. But not before she ruffled my hair. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Okay...no pressure then..." I said mainly to myself under my breath as Garnet walked inside the house. I felt Pearl squeeze my shoulder to try and comfort me.

"Garnet wouldn't be so relaxed if she thought you would fail." She said, which did reassure me a little. "Although I'm a bit... worried about you being 'the distraction'. You might get hurt."

"They probably wont hurt me if they know I'm a-" I practically heard the *DING* as an idea popped and then grew to fruition in my head, and as I thought about if further I noticed that it lined up with some other plans I had for the future. "I know exactly what I'm going to do, I might need your help with the 'distraction' though Pearl."

"What did you have in mind My Diamond?" Pearl asked, genuinely curious.

Plan A which involved destroying the robonoids before they could fix the warp, it was alright. But if we needed plan B...….

I smiled.

* * *

Garnet was quick to grab everyone when she saw with her future vision that the robonoids were heading for the galaxy warp, and we were quick to go. It was a tense few minutes as we flew along the warp stream to the galaxy warp, but it was perhaps even more tense when we finally arrived and several of us froze as we saw the amount of robots we'd have to destroy.

"Wow, there's so many of those little guys." Amethyst stated, before snapping herself out of it and summoning her whip. "Oh well, time to break stuff!"

"We can't let them repair the Home Warp!" Garnet shouted, running forward and attacking the little balls.

We all joined in doing so as well, crushing them when we got a chance. It was Steven shouting to stop that made me notice something.

"Stop smashing them! We're just repairing the warp faster!" I yelled as I watched all the goop from the broken robonoids cover the warp, sealing cracks and crevices.

"Quick! We have to knock them away!" Garnet yelled, slapping the spherical droids away from the Home Warp.

But between the five of us we'd broken to many already, and before our eyes we saw the Warp repair itself, a brilliant shine flashing from it as the last crack was sealed and it's connection to Home World was re-established.

I felt a slight pang in the back of my heart when I realised I could go to Home World, but shook it off when I remembered Steven and the Gems. AS I thought of them I looked over at Pearl who gave me a nod and I nodded back before looking to Garnet.

"The rest of us will hide, you two just lure whoever comes through away from the warp pad." She said, beckoning Steven toward her and Amethyst.

Steven hesitated and gave me a worried glance, but a quick smile and a nod from Pearl and I sent him scurrying over to Garnet. The warp pad before us activated, the stream one of the largest I'd seen.

While Garnet hid I took a deep breath before shape-shifting into my Diamond form, I looked down and saw Pearl had shape-shifted as well back into her default form she'd had when I-er the previous Pink Diamond had gotten her. I could tell she was slightly uncomfortable though.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" I asked, a bit put off by her discomfort. "You still have time to join the others."

"I'm not letting you do this alone." Pearl said resolutely, giving me a smile. "Besides, I think I like my hair like this. Even if the rest of my outfit brings back some bad memories."

"Well I happen to think it looks cute on you." I stated, a slight blush reaching my cheeks when I realised I'd said that aloud. A quick glance at Pearl told me she was blushing too.

We were both brought out of our shared embarrassment went the warp stream ended leaving two Gems on the warp, one I didn't expect to see for a while.

'Why the fuck is Jasper here?! Wait is SHE the one that's supposed to confirm my existence?!' I thought in a panic. I quickly shook myself out of it though, I had an act to put on.

"Finally. I've been waiting for years." I said, grabbing the attention of both Peridot and Jasper. Both of their eyes went wide at the sight of me.

"I-It shouldn't be possible, I was told you were shattered just as I emerged." Jasper stated with a slack jaw, her cape flowing in the wind. she cut an impressive image stood on the Home World warp with that cape catching the wind behind her.

'Wait, did Jasper always have a cape?' I thought to myself in confusion, I mentally shrugged though. 'Eh who cares looks cool.'

"Wait, a Jasper? So more of my Gems survived the war!" I said excitedly, bouncing a bit on the balls of my feet before stopping myself. "And a Peridot? I'm assuming these little robots are yours."

"Y-yes..." Peridot replied, still in awe she quickly stood ramrod straight though before saluting "My Diamond."

Jasper quickly saluted as well before descending the warp pad and kneeling in front of me.

"When I was first told my mission it was only a distant hope... But too think..." She started, before looking up at me. "My Diamond, permission to speak freely."

"Granted." I replied, before looking up at Peridot who was still up on the warp pad. "Come and join us, once Jasper is finished asking what she wishes I'd like to ask what you're doing here as well."

"Yes my Diamond." Peridot said in answer with a salute, descending the few stairs to kneel in front of me as well.

I rolled my eyes at the sight and motioned for them to stand. "I would hear your voice clearly if you please, I don't want to hear anything muddled."

"Of course My Diamond." Jasper said, standing back up. There was an almost savage smile on her face as she looked up at me. I looked behind them and saw Garnet sneaking towards the warp pad, I quickly adjusted my eyes back to Jasper and Peridot though. "I- I have so many questions. I wouldn't even know where to begin. But the other Diamonds, Blue in particular wanted me to ask you how you survived."

"Well that is quite a long story so I'll summarise it for you, my shattering was faked." I said, garnering a gasp from each of the two Gems in front of me. They were so surprised they didn't even hear Garnet summon her gauntlets. "With the war going badly My Pearl and I devised a plan for my survival if we were to be attacked, fake my shattering and then find a way off world. As you can see that didn't go as planned."

"But- all accounts of your shattering say that it was Rose Quartz who shattered you." Jasper stated, more than a little shocked at what she was hearing.

"My Pearl." I said simply, giving Pearl a nod. She nodded back and took a few steps forward, standing now between the Home World Gems and I.

In a flash of light Pearl shape-shifted into the figure of Rose Quarts too more shocked gasps, even Garnet stood stock still while looking at the shape changed Pearl.

"I believe you know what happened soon after." I said, building a bit of suspense before continuing. "The other Diamonds sought to end the war quickly after that, grieved more than I thought they would be by my 'passing'. Strangely enough it was the leader of the Crystal Gems who saved me."

At this Pearl shape shifted back to her 'default' form and stepped back to my side before adding "If it was not for Rose Quarts' Shield, My Diamond would not be here before you. In the end it was the Crystal Gems who saved us."

"I- I don't understand. Why would they help an enemy?" Jasper asked, more confused than ever.

She was broken from her thoughts at a loud smashing sound though. Both Peridot and Jasper turned around with wide eyes seeing the Home Warp destroyed by Garnet.

"She asked nicely." Garnet stated, dusting herself off of warp pad shards.

I heard Jasper growl and cleared my throat loudly so both Garnet and her could hear me.

"No fighting. They're friends, no matter our history." I said, looking between both Garnet and Jasper. I could only hope that at least Jasper would follow my orders, Garnet though sent a look telling me she felt a tad betrayed.

"Why?! Why destroy the Home World warp?!" Jasper asked angrily, she looked at me with something akin to feelings of betrayal in her eyes as well. Peridot was just shaking like a leaf, looking between the three of us. She held a constant Diamond salute the whole time in her nervousness.

"I'm not ready to return home just yet." I replied truthfully, grabbing her attention. "And if I had let either of you two report back to any of the Diamonds I'd be dragged back, but in the meantime if you're willing. I have need of a good soldier and an intelligent engineer."

"I-I..." Jasper stumbled over her words as she tried to comprehend what was happening. Peridot seemed to make up her mind quickly though, as if her survival depended on it.

"Of course my Diamond, My genius is yours." Peridot stated, bowing after finishing her salute.

Seemingly seeing she had almost no choice but to either fight her Diamond or obey, Jasper's loyalty won out as well "My strength is yours...My Diamond." She stated, kneeling once again as she said so.

"This...Was not how I expected thing to turn out." Garnet stated, a little hesitant to put away her weapons. But after seeing the other Gems 'stand down' she did so as well, her weapons vanishing into pixels of light. She kept a wary gaze on them though as everyone else came out from where they were hiding behind a nearby warp pad.

I saw Jasper tense up but moved forward next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place just in case. She tensed further but seemed to relax under my hand. I could feel her looking up at me and I looked down, I was surprised to see her smiling. Her gaze was drawn back to the other Gems though as they came towards us, however hesitantly. As they did I spared a glance over to Peridot as well, and saw that despite being quite obviously terrified of the situation it didn't seem like she'd be going anywhere.

"Hey... uh Pink, good job?" Amethyst stated nervously, only taking her eyes off of Jasper for a few seconds to give me a worried glance.

"You will address your Diamond with the proper curte-" "Stop Jasper." I interrupted, giving her shoulder a slight squeeze. She looked up at me with confusion but I returned it with a smile and gestured towards the Crystal Gems with a smile. "I told you they've helped me, as such I've been living amongst them as friends and family, not ruler and subjects."

"But- That's- You're a Diamond!" Jasper stated, obviously not believing me. "How could you lower yourself to their- OUR level?"

"And as such I can do as I wish right?" I replied with a smile, Jasper's eyes widening a bit before giving a slow nod in reply. "Well, currently my wish is the same as theirs... Sort of. This is **MY** **WORLD**. And they help to protect it and the Humans I find so interesting, so we became fast friends after saving me."

"I see, I think I understand." Jasper stated, relaxing a bit before looking over at the Crystal Gems. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she still held a little disdain for them.

"What about your Pearl? Surely she's not as accepted as one of us regular Gems- er My Diamond." Peridot stated, finally speaking up. I gave her a slight glare which she withered under, slinking back a bit. But I smiled and looked down at Pearl, now fully back into her Crystal Gem outfit. She still stood beside me and looked up to me lovingly though, and she gave me a smile before turning her gaze to Peridot.

'Is-is she enjoying this?' I thought to myself looking down at Pearl, she seemed different somehow. 'Oh, she kept the hair.'

"My Diamond understands the importance of all of us and our importance to our mission to protect the Earth, and thus holds admiration for all of us and what we 'can' do, not what we made to do." Pearl stated smugly, before turning back to me with that loving smile of hers. "Isn't that right My Diamond?"

"Of course my Pearl." I replied with a simple nod and a smile, that simple gesture alone was enough to both confuse and irritate Peridot. Thankfully neither Peridot or Jasper seemed to notice or care about the slight blush on my face, I REALLY liked that hair.

"I was informed about your love for... things unorthodox, My Diamond." Jasper stated, clear disdain in her voice as she glared at Pearl who glared back. "But I've already sworn my service, and I will not revoke my word to My Diamond." She added, getting back on one knee.

"Okay... but what now?" Steven asked, grabbing everyone's attention. "I'm glad no ones fighting, but I'm still pretty confused."

"We'll explain everything when we get back to the temple." I replied, getting a side look from Garnet. "At which point you two will explain your own missions and which of my fellow Diamonds gave them to you as well."

"Yes My Diamond."Jasper said, standing and saluting.

"Yes my Diamond." Peridot said as well, although she gave a fearful glance to the Crystal Gems.

"Are you sure you can keep your...followers in check?" Garnet asked me, seemingly uncomfortable with my new...well I suppose followers was the right word. She also seemed to eye Pearl, giving her an appraising glance.

"You two are going to behave, and by that I mean not break anything or anyone at or around the temple. Unless they're hostile?" I asked the two Home World gems that walked over to stand next to me.

I looked up at the others as I waited for an answer and noticed that we seemed to be in a strange stand off, either group gathered around a 'leader' watching the other side with a bit of mistrust. I saw Steven looking up at me and noticed even he seemed a bit...fearful?

'Is he scared of me?' I thought to myself worriedly, but a quick look down reminded me that the Home World Gems were probably what he was unsure of. Besides, we were still brother and sister.

"Understood." "Yes My Diamond." They both answered.

"I'll make sure they behave My Diamond." Pearl added, summoning her spear for emphasis and clanging the butt of it on the ground. She sent a quick glare to Jasper as she did so.

"Good, then I can finally relax." I said tiredly, shape shifting back into my preferred smaller form. Jasper and Peridot's reactions were funny to say the least, but I did them the honour of not laughing at their expense. I looked over to the other Gems and noticed the atmosphere relax greatly now that I was 'back to normal'. I smiled at Steven before saying "Now let's go home."

This...This was going to be interesting.

* * *

A/N Finally it's out! I fought this one for a while but now that it's done it'll be on to the next chapter, which will hopefully be done sooner than this one was.

As always make sure to let me know what you thought and Stay Tuned for More!


	13. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Stand Off

* * *

I sat on the couch, feeling a little awkward as every other Gem was standing up. Jasper and Peridot had sort of converged around me, standing by either side of me. Even my suggestions to sit next to me were put aside as they 'weren't worthy' of sitting next to a Diamond. I gave a hopeful look to Pearl, but she just stood ahead of me staring down the other Crystal Gem's. Steven stood on the other side of the house with them, hiding vaguely behind Amethyst. I'd expected animosity but not this.

"I know you don't trust them but this... separation is a bit much isn't it?" I asked earnestly, hoping Garnet would see how foolish this all was.

"I'm sorry Pink, it's not you I distrust. You know that, but I am NOT getting any closer to those Home World Gem's until we know more about them and who they are." Garnet stated, giving me a soft look before returning her gaze to the two mentioned Gem's beside me.

Amethyst shifted next to her before voicing her opinion as well. "Yeah, and Pearl's been weirdly okay with you doing... well Diamond stuff."

"Like you would know anything about that." Pearl quipped back, giving Amethyst a quick glare. "Besides that these Gems are harmless now, they've sworn their fealty to My Diamond." She added, gesturing to me.

"And that's another thing, this whole 'My Diamond' stuff is freaking me out a bit." Amethyst admitted hesitantly. She glanced over at me, giving me a torn look before settling her eyes back onto Pearl who stared back unrelentingly. "At first I thought it was a joke or something cute you two did, but I'm thinking you're taking it a bit more seriously now. It- It isn't like you. Or You Pink."

"Well- Th-That's..." Pearl replied unsurely, a concerned yet thoughtful look on her face slowly developing. "No. I'm fine, I'm as much myself as I ever was." She finally finished, although I could tell by the look on her face she was still unsure.

'Is...Is me being here changing Pearl?' I thought to myself worriedly. 'Am I changing?'

"Where is Rose Quartz?" Jasper suddenly asked, cutting off that conversation and breaking me from my thoughts with the abruptness of the question. Nobody was quick to answer.

"That's... a long story." I said, grabbing her attention. "Besides, you came to us. It's only fair that you two state your missions first before asking us any questions."

I felt the tension in the room relax a bit at that, though the two sides still eyed each other. The Crystal Gem's still needed to know this, and were waiting with baited breath. So was I.

"Who shall explain first My Diamond?" Jasper asked bowing her head in respect, I assume because there was no proper space to kneel without moving closer to the other Gems.

"I'd like to hear from you first Jasper, then once you are done and we've finished talking about it Peridot will explain her mission." I replied calmly, although I noticed Amethyst's glare move from the Home World Gem's to me again.

I was a bit shocked when I noticed, it had the same sort of sting that Garnets glare did back at the galaxy warp before I shape shifted back to normal. Did-did she not like that I was going along with this? Or was it because I was acting My part of a Diamond?

"Of course My Diamond." Jasper said in answer, giving a salute and breaking me from my thoughts. "I should start off by saying that I was sent here by Yellow Diamond, after she was persuaded by Blue Diamond to follow up on a lead that we got from an era one Lapis Lazuli that in her own words 'escaped the cruelty of Earth'. She was imprisoned for questioning upon returning to Home World. After her imprisonment she became hostile and only gave further information after intense interrogation."

"You tortured her?" I asked a bit surprised, not to mention horrified. _'On the bright side she may not have given away my identity without a fight, TORTURE THOUGH?!'_

"Those of Blue Diamond's court prefer not to-"

"Yeah yeah I know." I interrupted, pinching the bridge of my nose as a few memories of Blue I didn't like came back to me. I took a quick glance over to Garnet and saw how tense she was, understandable so considering their first fusion was watched by Blue who was NOT impressed. "At least her court's more subtle than she is." I muttered loudly, mainly to show my disdain for her actions. "Please, continue."

"Yes My Diamond." Jasper replied, clearing her throat before doing so. "The specifics of my mission were to accompany Peridot, facet 2F5L cut 5XG in her mission to Earth with the side goal of affirming either the presence of any other Gems on planet. Either the rebels, or you, My Diamond. Once this was completed I was to, depending on the outcome of my mission, stay and assist the Peridot or return to Home World with the information."

"And now that you can no longer complete your mission?" Garnet asked, her question holding a little edge to it.

Jasper turned to Garnet with conviction in her eyes, glancing back at me for a short second before turning back and answering "My new mission is to protect My Diamond, PINK Diamond at any cost. Whether it be from rebels or anything else."

"Does that extend to the Earth as well? I've told you it's important to me." I asked, making Jasper pause for a bit in thought before turning to me.

"If you order it My Diamond, though I don't truly see the need. The Earth is dull, and I doubt it's Humans are any better." Jasper stated, before becoming a bit panicked as she noticed she spoke her mind. I lifted a calming hand and she stilled as she watched me.

"You shouldn't be afraid to speak your mind around me. My fellow Diamond's yes, especially if Yellow hasn't changed that much. But I value input from ALL Gem's, no matter their occupation." I said, I could see and practically feel her visibly relax. I could swear I saw Garnet relaxing as well, this must be pretty stressful for her. She still kept a watchful eye on Jasper and Peridot.

"Thank you for your mercy and benevolence My Diamond, I don't feel worthy of it." Jasper responded with a perfect salute, but mildly embarrassed smile.

"Regardless, if that is your opinion then I'm afraid I will have to order it. You will fit in better here if you fight for Me AND the Earth." I stated, looking around to the other Gems in the room to see if they approved of the decision.

Garnet's face told me she approved, somewhat. My guess is she didn't like me acting like a Diamond to do so, which is the same vibe I got from Amethyst. Steven gave me a big grin and a thumbs up, the smile I returned. Lastly I turned to Pearl who gave me a loving smile and a nod, although by the strained look she gave Jasper I could tell she still didn't fully trust her.

"Yes My Diamond." Jasper said simply in reply, another perfect salute. I was really starting to get tired of that.

A bit of silence went by before Peridot piped up "Is- Is it my turn to speak now, My Diamond?"

"Go ahead, we're all eagerly awaiting to hear what Home World wants with the Earth." I replied, leaning back a bit and turning toward her. I knew what was coming but I had to prepare myself to be either surprised or horrified. Or to at least pretend to be.

"I-er that is I was sent to check on the progress of... The Cluster, and some Gem fusion experiments." Peridot said, giving first Garnet then I a nervous glance. "That's-That's all I was here to do."

"The Cluster?" Steven asked with not a small amount of confusion, shared by most of the others. I made sure to mimic confusion as best I could. "What's 'The Cluster'?"

"Fusion experiments?" Garnet said more than asked. She glared at Peridot as she said so. "Explain."

"I don't take orders from you 'Fusion'." Peridot said, her face frowning and her tone snarky.

"Peridot, you will treat Garnet with respect. She has earned mine and is a dear friend." I said bitingly, staring her down. "Also, explain. Fusion experiments first then the Cluster."

"Y-yes My Diamond!" Peridot exclaimed quickly, rushing a salute while watching me nervously. "Well... The fusion experiments were started a long time ago nearing the end of the war after Pink Diamond's... faked shattering. A-after that the remains of shattered Gems were gathered using recon units. These shards were then... fused together and left to incubate. After a few successful small tests were made talk started about a geo-weapon."

"The Cluster." I stated, receiving a nod from Peridot.

"It was a last ditch attempt to get something useful from the planet according to the notes I read." Peridot stated, a little more relaxed as she got caught up in the explanation. "With the rebels winning the war Home World pulled out after the Cluster was finished, leaving behind a last battalion of quartz soldiers to keep the rebels fighting so that they wouldn't be able to protect themselves from the blast."

"Yeah, bet they didn't count on Rose's Shield huh?" Amethyst said, a smug smile on her face.

"Where is Rose Quartz?" Jasper asked again insitantly, She looked at me for approval to keep speaking one she realised she'd done so out of turn again and I gave her a nod in reply. I had said that she'd be answered after all. "She wasn't at the galaxy warp and doesn't seem to be here either."

"Uhhh Hi. I'm Steven." Steven stated a little awkwardly as he walked up to Jasper. As he did so she seemingly on instinct stepped between Steven and I. "Rose Quartz was...my Mom, I have her Gem now." He stated, lifting his shirt to show her the Gem.

"You're Rose Quartz?" Jasper asked, immensely confused as she sized him up. "You could've fooled me Rose, I thought you were a Human."

"No no I'm half Human, and my name is Steven. Rose was my Mom." Steven said again, struggling to explain. "She gave up being Rose to be me."

"So...you're Steven, but also Rose?" Jasper asked, still confused. It was clear she had no idea what Steven was trying to explain.

"Rose Quartz grew a human inside of her with help from another human, she then gave up her memories and Gem which is now a part of this human called Steven." I explained, having already thought up a way to explain it to other Gems a while ago. I saw realisation in Jaspers eyes as she slowly nodded in understanding. She slowly frowned as she thought it through.

"That's wrong on so many levels." She finally stated, her face scrunching up while looking at Steven's Gem. Steven understandably looked a bit offended. "Why would she do that?"

"We don't know." I stated somewhat sure of my answer, considering my memories told me Rose wasn't entirely sure either until she'd gotten pregnant. I shook my head though at how off track we'd gotten and turned my head back to Peridot who seemed to be trying to force away the image of a human inside a Gem. "Anyway, Geo-Weapon. The Cluster. How bad is it?"

"It...May or may not destroy the Earth when it emerges." Peridot stated, her nervousness returning. My guess is the silence afterwards didn't help. "Sometime within the next planetary sun rotation." She added.

"Okay. Thanks Peridot, that's... absolutely horrifying." I said turning a bit Pink for show, after I took a deep breathe and I made the glow slowly fade away. It was important that it looked like I didn't know anything about this, because one slip up would be bad. "Besides evacuation what can we do to deal with the Cluster?"

"Evacuation? We're not going to abandon Earth." Garnet stated, as if the idea was ridiculous.

"Yeah, we kind of live here. Where would we even go?" Amethyst added, not into the idea of leaving Earth to it's fate either.

"We're not going to abandon the Earth, that would be insane! Right my Diamond?" Pearl said as well, looking at me hopefully.

"Not until it splits beneath my feet." I replied with a smirk which Pearl returned. "But back up plans are always good to have, even if we don't plan on using them."

"Spoken like a true leader." Jasper commented giving me a smile, I was surprised to see it shared by Pearl who gave me a nod.

"We would have to find some way to destroy the Cluster before it emerges." Peridot speculated, putting her thinking face on. She brought up one of her limb enhancers and brought up a screen before going through some information on it, seemingly finding the right page she turned to me. "Currently I have no information on The Cluster, only where to find said information. Permission to travel to the alpha kindergarten to retrieve the needed information My Diamond?"

"The Kindergarten? Why on Earth would you need to go there?" Pearl asked, the tone of her voice clearly showing she still didn't trust Peridot.

"There's an observation post built beneath the Kindergarten which can be used to check the growth of the Cluster, although whether that site has it's current location is debatable." Peridot answered simply a little annoyance at being question by a Pearl evident in her voice. She clearly didn't care that Pearl still didn't trust her.

"I could go with her, been meaning to check around my old stomping ground for a while anyway." Amethyst suggested, although she got a look from everyone in the room. "What? I can take care of the Nerd while she does her nerd stuff."

"I'm a Peridot." "That's what I said."

"Garnet? What do you think?" I asked, really needing her help this time. I knew about the Cluster but when it came to this? I hoped I could rely on her future vision.

Garnet seemed a bit apprehensive at the question but adjusted her glasses as she used her future vision. "I'll go with them. Pearl look after Steven while I'm gone, and Pink...see if you can find somewhere for our new 'friends' to stay. The temple's run out of rooms."

"Alright, you heard her Peridot. Go check up on the Cluster and report back." I said giving her a quick nod.

Peridot gave me a quick salute before following after Garnet who was already walking towards the warp pad. Amethyst was right behind her, checking out the limb enhancers. Peridot complained a bit as she started tapping on one but they warped away before we could hear the conversation start.

"So... What now?" Steven asked, looking between Pearl, Jasper and I. His stomach grumbled in answer and I gave a short laugh.

"Dinner time I guess, Pearl could you please make me some Tea? It's been a looong night." I asked, standing up from the couch and stretching.

"Dinner? Tea?" Jasper asked, completely oblivious.

"Humans are organics and thus need to eat. Dinner is... it's an agreed upon time among humans where they gather as a family to eat." I explained, racking my brain a bit to come up with such an explanation. "You'll have a good bit to learn about Humans and their culture, seeing as we've adapted to it a bit."

"If that is your wish My Diamond." Jasper replied with a salute, but I waved it away which seemed to confuse her a bit.

"None of that please, I'm getting sick of the whole saluting thing." I stated. Jasper hesitated, about to salute again but simply nodded back. "And please, don't hesitate to be yourself around me. Unless we're in battle or something important or formal is going on please be at ease."

"Of course, thank you My Diamond." Jasper replied with another nod, she looked around awkwardly before sitting down on the couch.

"Care for a game of Chess?" I asked, grabbing the box out of the cupboard under the stairs before showing it to her.

"But I don't know how to play My Diamond." Jasper replied, looking over the box in my hands.

"I can teach you, It's a game loosely based on Human war. It was Pearl who introduced it to me." I stated happily, I saw Jasper lean back a bit in disbelief as she looked between Pearl and I.

"Your Pearl taught you how to play a game?" Jasper had to ask, I heard the clanging of pots and pans slow and looked up to see Pearl watching us carefully. Waiting for the right time to jump in and defend herself.

"Yes, I'm sad to say she's a better strategist than I am." I replied. I gave a short giggle as Jasper's eyes went wide and she stumbled over her words trying to form a response. I stopped her short though as I continued "The things she's learned during her time here on Earth have been a great help to The Crystal Gem's including Me, and in doing so she's improved herself and her worth. She's actually not a bad body guard either, despite not being made for it."

"You're not suggesting you let her do what she wants?" Jasper asked, although she seemed to shrink back a bit as I turned Pink in anger.

"**Is that a problem?**" I asked, radiating Pink as I glared at Jasper.

"N-No My Diamond." Jasper replied quickly, I could hear the fear in her voice. Why did it feel good? "If you don't have a problem with it then I certainly don't."

"Good! Then let's get to playing shall we?" I asked, right back to cheery once that was sorted.

I swear I could FEEL Pearl's smug smirk as I set up the chess board and slowly got the pieces out and set them up. A quick look up told me that Jasper was still a bit nervous as well, damned straight she better be. Questioning Pearl's freedom.

* * *

Considering the time we'd sent Steven to bed. He'd had a long day and thankfully seemed to go straight to sleep. I thought about it and smiled, a little envious at how easy it seemed for him to just lay back and forget about the worlds problems. Speaking of that brought me back to Jasper, who was currently picking up a chess piece.

"I don't understand, you say this castle represents a stationary military defence structure." Jasper explained, holding up the black castle piece for examination. I nodded to show that she was right and she continued "Then why does to have better movement than most of the other pieces on the board? Shouldn't it stay still?"

"I'm not entirely sure actually..." I replied, a bit confused myself before shrugging. "I've never really thought about it. Maybe it's movement to other positions represents it's garrison moving to another defensible keep?"

"Uuugh, this game confuses me. I'm sorry for being so bad at it My Diamond." Jasper said, putting down the piece with a bit more force then necessary.

She flinched when I put a hand on her shoulder but gave me a sad look up to show she was paying attention.

"It's alright, it's merely a fun way to spend time. I thought you'd be suited to it being a Gem of war but maybe you would be more suited with sports or wrestling." I suggested, trying to think what else she might like about the world of Humans.

"Sports?" Jasper asked curiously, the chess game forgotten for now. She looked to me for further answers.

"More tea My Diamond?" Pearl asked, having re-heated the kettle once her cup had run out. She stood next to me with the kettle in hand.

"No thank you, but you could help us in brainstorming." I suggested as Pearl nodded and poured herself another cup, taking the seat beside me before setting the kettle down and relaxing. "I was trying to think of an activity someone as physically capable as Jasper might enjoy."

"Hrrmm, perhaps boxing?" Pearl suggested, taking a sip of tea before furrowing her brows and adding "That would require a partner though, and proper training." At that point Pearl seemed to think of an idea and she put her cup down. "What if we were to train with her? Or if it is appropriate, for her to train us?"

"Hmmm, What do you think Jasper? Would you be willing to train or train with Crystal Gems?" I asked, a bit hopeful for the answer.

"Sounds like fun actually. It means I'll actually be able to HIT someone right?" She asked, a smile on her face.

"Within reason, I'm sure that's possible." I said, not entirely sure. And a little worried about her enthusiasm. "Mock battles are a part of some training aren't they Pearl?"

"Sometimes, although we may have to have a few mock battles to see what you're capable of." Pearl replied, ending the sentence with a look at Jasper, a cocky smile on her face.

"Heh, for a Pearl you've sure got a lot of fire in you." Jasper stated with a smirk, I smiled at the first complement she'd given Pearl.

"Damned straight." Pearl replied with confidence, smirk never leaving her face.

We were brought out of our conversation about training when the warp pad activated and Peridot appeared, with a very distraught looking Garnet and Amethyst.

"I still don't understand why you two saw any need at all to 'bubble' those experiments." Peridot stated as she stepped off of the pad. "There's nothing that can be done for them."

"If it stops them living in agony, then I will personally poof and bubble every single one of those... things." Garnet stated, although she was still shaking a bit.

Amethyst shivered and seemed to turn a shade of lighter purple than usual before saying "I still can't believe those things exist, it's horrifying."

"So...How did it go then?" I asked with a touch of hesitation seeing the state of their return. Garnet and Amethyst seemed a bit hesitant to answer, but Peridot who was unperturbed by what she saw simply walked forward and knelt down before me to address me.

"My Diamond the Cluster is unfortunately growing on schedule." Peridot stated, lifting her head. I motioned for her to stand up and she did so before continuing. "We have half a solar orbit until the cluster is supposed to emerge."

"Half a year? That's more than enough time to deal with the Cluster!" Pearl exclaimed with excitement.

"If... I might make a suggestion, My Diamond?" Peridot said, interrupting Pearls celebration. She had the smarts to act a bit embarrassed at ruining her joy for the second but continued. "Would it not be quicker and safer to contact your fellow Diamond's to deal with this problem? I'm almost certain that if Yellow Diamond were to know that Her Geo-Weapon would destroy your planet she wou-"

"Would go through with it anyway." I stated, my tone cold as I thought of Yellow. My heart softened though as good memories flowed into my mind of her as well. "As much as I don't like to admit it she doesn't respect me enough to help, she didn't want to do it my way last time either."

"Last time... My Diamond?" Peridot asked with confusion. I could see she was sure HER Diamond would be benevolent in her decisions.

"I tried to prevent the Gem war from happening by changing the way we established the colony, but my Sis- fellow Diamonds wouldn't have it." I explained, not entirely lying. Well except for the fact that it was the past Pink... "They were insistent that I run my colony THEIR way, because ALL colonies are and have been run as such."

"Are you saying the Gem war is because of the Diamonds? My Diamond?" Jasper piped up, confusion written her face now.

"Both sides are at fault for the war, but if I'd had my way. There would have been no fighting." I stated confidently, partly believing it.

"Very well, I do have a second option My Diamond, But we're going to need a drill." Peridot stated, using her arm enhancer to bring up some data on a screen. "I'm confident that if we can get down to where the Cluster is before it starts to form we can simply drill through it, shattering it like a normal gem."

"I...Is there no way to simply... extract the cluster from the earth without harming it?" I asked, looking for another option. I didn't really want to shatter the cluster, although I would if I had to.

"It would require and excavation of earth the likes of which the planet has never seen my Diamond." Peridot stated, going over the numbers before frowning. "And we still don't know where and how deep we should dig."

"But if we do drill it. Wont it try and protect itself?" Steven asked, bringing up a good point. "If I was being drilled I'd try and protect me."

"I... I'm not sure." Peridot replied nervously, tapping a few more numbers into her limb enhancers computer. "Nothing like the Cluster has ever been attempted, so I don't have any relevant data."

"We could just bubble it." Amethyst said out of the blue, grabbing everyone's attention. She shrunk a bit under the collective gaze of everyone in the room before continuing. "What? It's not even formed yet right? How hard could it be to bubble?"

"It's roughly 500 metres in diameter, that's roughly the estimated size of the mountain your temple resides in plus half." Peridot replied, seemingly annoyed at the suggestion that the problem could be solved that easily. "None of us could even come CLOSE to creating a bubble that big."

"What if... say two Diamonds tried to do it together?" I suggested, glancing for a second at Steven. My eyes turned hopefully to Peridot for the answer.

"I... It's... Possible... but that would require contacting the Diamond's." Peridot stated with confusion. She looked over to the Crystal Gem's and my eyes followed, they seemed surprised by my words but I slowly saw it sink into them and then they too were looking at Steven. Although they weren't as subtle as I was. "Didn't you just say you didn't want the other Diamond's involved My Diamond?"

"It's a back up plan for now, no matter what we still require access to the Cluster for any of this to happen." I said, diverting her attention back to me. "We need that Drill, and we need somewhere we can construct it."

"I have the logs of many old Gem sites we can use to scrounge for parts, or if you wish to set up a base of operations from which to launch the Drill." Peridot suggested, still going through her arm computer.

As soon as she began to list places to drill I tuned out and checked on the Crystal Gem's again. They still seemed tense, Pearl included even if she was 'on my side'. I didn't like this split between us. The mistrust Garnet had for these Gem's was washing off on Amethyst it seemed, but Steven still looked curious if a bit hesitant.

'I'm not really doing anything bad right?' I thought to myself as I looked at Steven staring with vague curiosity and a little fear at the Home World Gem's, Gem's which we'd just finished explaining to him were 'bad'. 'I suppose I can understand his confusion. I just hope he learns to accept them, hell I hope anyone besides Pearl and I do.'

"So which of those sites listed do you think would best suit our purposes My Diamond?" Peridot asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

Immediately I looked over to Garnet for help with the decision, which I needed seeing as I wasn't paying attention. "What do you think? Should we even separate ourselves?" I asked, hoping for a good answer.

Garnet seemed to think on it a bit, looking between the Home World Gems and I, adjusting her glasses as she did so. When I thought she'd speak up she hesitated and turned around, seemingly muttering to herself. She seemed caught in and argument, I caught mutters of Blue and Pink but little else.

"Garnet?" Steven asked with worry in his voice, looking up at Garnet.

"I...I need to think on this. But for now it would be good for us to get to know each other, so we can work together easier." Garnet stated finally, having quelled the war within herself. She seemed tired after giving the answer. "If you'll excuse me I require some rest."

"Thanks Garnet, for everything." I replied genuinely with a relieved smile, this would have gone to absolute shit without her help. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at me as I said it, giving me a soft smile. Her smile quickly turned to a frown though and she walked off at a hard pace towards her room.

"Well...What are we supposed to do now?" Amethyst asked, seemingly bored now that the big moment was over. She still gave Peridot and Jasper a slight glare, but both quickly shook it off. "We don't exactly have enough space for your loyal minions."

"Maybe Dad knows somewhere they can stay!" Steven said excitedly rushing forward and grabbing my hand, Jasper was quick to try and intervene but a glare from me made her keep her distance. I could still tell she didn't like Steven touching me as he dragged me out of the house, Jasper running quickly after. Peridot was busy asking Amethyst where her 'enhancers' were if I heard right as we left.

Soon enough we were at Greg's car wash, unfortunately for him it was about six thirty in the morning. Steven knocked politely, followed by bashing on the vans door. When that didn't work Jasper walked up, banging the side of the van and leaving a sizeable dent. I winced at the dent and gave Jasper a little glare.

"You're fixing that." I stated grumpily as Jasper realised she'd done something wrong.

"Y-yes My Diamond, my apologies." She replied with a nod, remembering to leave out the salute.

"Steven!" We all heard Greg yell as he ran out of the back of the van with a pile of CD's in his hand. Strangely he seemed ready to throw them with accurate precision. "What's wrong?! IS the EARTH under attack?!"

"It's okay Dad! It's just Me, Pink and our new friend! Uhhhhh..." "Jasper." "Yeah Jasper!" Steven explained, Jasper supplying her name for Steven as he failed to remember it.

"Oh... Phew." Greg said, shuffling the CD's in his hand around before walking back to the van and placing them down. "For a minute I thought another one of those 'Home World Gem's' had come back to steal the Earth's water again."

"Why would I want the Earth's water?" Jasper asked, gaining an awkward silence in reply. "Is it valuable?"

"Not as much as the Earth itself." I said grabbing Jasper's attention while Steven whispered to Greg in the background. "Also, yes Greg. Jasper IS a Home World Gem. But she's sworn her service to me, so she won't be a problem for Earth or any humans."

"Tell that to my Van..." Greg muttered as he looked at the fist sized dent in the side of it.

"We'll make sure it gets fixed up right, we still owe you for giving us that ride out to face Lapis after all." I stated with a smile which Greg returned.

"Pearl already did a pretty good job fixing it up the first time, are you sure it wouldn't be to much of a bother?" Greg asked.

"I'll pay for it if I have to, I feel bad about it." I said, a frown on my face. "It gets damaged almost every time we show up."

"If you're sure, then... thank you... It's much appreciated." Greg replied before shaking some sleep out of his eyes. "Now, Steven tells me you guys need a place to stay."

"If you don't mind helping us look, it would be REALLY appreciated." I pleaded, getting a look from Jasper. Probably for acting like a 'Common Gem'.

Greg smiled. "I think I know just the place."

* * *

A/N DUN DUN DUN, ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST! Well that's another chapter down and a bit of the MAIN story underway. I've got a good bit more planned from here that should be fun, so remember to leave a review telling me what you think and Stay Tuned For More!


	14. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Base Mates 

* * *

"I don't understand the need for such primitive transportation." Jasper complained from the back of the van as we drove past the opening of a wooden gate and up a scarcely used dirt road. "If this place is so close to a warp pad then why didn't we just warp there My Diamond?"

"I agree My Diamond, warping here would have been much simpler." Peridot said from the back seat just in front of Jasper. There was a perpetual look of dissatisfaction on her face as the Van bounced and shook along the dirt road, one that was shared by Jasper.

I gave Greg a reassuring smile as he looked at their scowling faces in the rear view mirror and turned to the unruly Gems.

"We are taking Greg's van to this barn his family owns mainly because I want to observe some of our surroundings, see what resources we have available to us." I stated, telling half of the truth. I looked out of the side window at the trees and forest in the distance and smiled, I did always love driving in the country side.

"While that is an excellent idea My Diamond I doubt we are going to be using wood for the Drill." Peridot replied with a little pout and a huff.

"Ah yes the Drill." I said, bringing my attention back to that as I stared at the road ahead. "I want you to understand that you'll be working with Pearl on this, as partners."

"But!- Arrrgh, yes My Diamond." Peridot grumbled, she got punched in the back of her head for the trouble by Jasper.

"Give more respect to your Diamond you RUNT." Jasper almost growled at Peridot. "If our Diamond is assigning their Pearl to help us then they must be of SOME use."

"She made an almost space worthy vessel out of parts from the same barn." I added, remembering back to that day. It was another thing I'm glad I'd changed from the show, because god knows that whole kidnapping thing was messed up. But thanks to her love for me she was more...grounded, and wasn't as driven to show Steven the stars.

"See, I told you. Reasons." Jasper said smugly to Peridot, who simply frowned harder in reply.

"Well, we're almost there. You can examine it for yourself and see whether you'll have the parts you need." Greg said helpfully, a slight strain to his smile as he said so. He gave me a slight look of worry, one that I'd noticed more of as the drive had gone on.

I was distracted from that thought though as the barn finally came into view ahead and my smile grew wide. Greg must of noticed because he gave a slight chuckle when he noticed.

"Still love the countryside huh? Well I'm glad some things never change." He stated as we pulled up in front of the barn and I nearly burst out of the van before immediately jumping up onto the roof. I was marvelling at the amount of green from the trees in the distance, I couldn't help myself as I whooped with joy and jumped off the barn, slowly floating down to the ground.

"Ah this is why I love Earth, it's so beautiful." I stated as Jasper and Peridot climbed out of the van, staring unbelievingly at the barn.

"THIS is to be our new base of operations?" Jasper asked, almost scared to look at me for confirmation. "It's made of wood."

"Considering humans supposedly built this, I'm actually a little impressed." Peridot added. "I thought they all lived in caves or mud shelters."

"They evolve and adapt quite quickly." I said in reply, grabbing Peridots attention. "The building design itself is quite old. Humans have had barns for I'm sure over a thousand years, they tend to make buildings out of steel and a hardening mixture called concrete in this modern day."

"Fascinating." Peridot said, looking over a Greg with a new light before walking towards then into the Barn.

"What do you wish me to do My Diamond?" Jasper asked, almost going for a salute before replacing it with a simple nod. I'm happy she's trying.

"I'd like you to check our perimeter, while I'm certainly not expecting any enemies you never know what you might find while searching." I stated. "After you're done feel free to take some time to either train or help Peridot."

"At once my Diamond." Jasper replied with a bow, walking back down the dirt road to begin her perimeter sweep. She seemed a bit happier doing something she was comfortable with.

"You know... all this... My Diamond stuff is a bit unsettling, are you okay with them calling you that?" Greg asked, that worried look back on his face.

"At first it felt a bit weird, but it's kind of growing on me." I replied, running over that sentence in my head again. "Is-is that strange?"

"A little, yeah." Greg replied honestly, he seemed a little conflicted but looked to where Jasper had walked off to before sighing and looking over to me with a smile. "Rose told me a little about the 'other' Diamond's when she was still with us, although I'm still kind of re-thinking some of those old talks she was kind of stuck in her opinion that the Diamond's were cruel rulers. You don't seem cruel to me."

"I try not to be. Hell they swore themselves to me, I don't want to abuse that trust." I stated, my words seemingly calming Greg a bit, although he still gave me a slight look.

"Still a bit worried about the whole 'Ruler' thing though." Greg said, looking into the barn at Peridot sorting through various items. "You think it's because you're a Diamond that being a ruler is growing on you?"

"I...wow, that's..." I stumbled to reply, my mind starting to race as he introduced the thought. "I-I'm going to have to think on that one. Thanks Greg."

"No problem, you're basically family and family takes care of each other." He replied with a smile. "And you're free to use this place as long as you guys like, no one's used it for years."

"Thanks again, and I'll make sure to talk to Jasper about not punching your van any more." I replied again, looking towards the Barn with a few more thoughts swimming in my mind.

"Are you sure you'll be fine with just you three to set up?" Greg asked, looking back to his van as he thought of leaving. "The other Crystal Gem's are coming to help right?"

"I know Pearl will, and she'll convince the others I'm sure of it." I stated with a smile, confident in Pearl's negotiation abilities. "Not that she'll need to work to hard I think. The Cluster's no joke."

"Alright then, I'll leave you to it. Call me if you guys need my help with anything?" He asked with a finality, backing up towards his van as he spoke.

"I'll make sure to keep in touch." I replied with a smile, easing his mind a bit.

I waved as the van started up and drove away, leaving me alone with my new 'friends' and our new base of operations. Looking back towards the barn I took a deep breath and let out a sigh to try and relieve some of the anxiety I'd been building up on the way here.

_'It's okay, I'm safe out here. Pearl's bound to come join us soon enough and then everything will be fine._' I thought to myself as I walked up to the barn with what I hoped was a look of confidence. '_I wonder if I'll have to worry about Peridot trying to contact the Diamond's? I'll think about it later, for now we've got to settle in.' _

"Peridot!" I yelled as I walked into the Barn, looking around for her. In reaction to my yelling I heard a small 'eep!' before a pile of junk came tumbling forward into my path, Peridot rolling out of it in front of me. "Already taking stock of what we have available? Well done."

"Thank you My Diamond, I was originally hired onto this mission for my efficiency in previous endeavours." Peridot replied with a salute from the ground, she then realised the position she was in and scrambled to get up before standing in salute to me.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Jasper, you don't need to salute me." I stated, watching as she brought her hands down slowly.

"Then how do you wish to be recognised as My Diamond?" Peridot asked, certainly confused but taking this a bit better than Jasper had. Which I was thankful for, maybe I could get a bit further with Peridot when it came to this whole 'Diamond' thing.

"Just referring to me as My Diamond is alright for now, although we may chat further about it later once we've established ourselves here properly." I replied, taking my eyes off of her and checking out the Barn. "Do we have everything we need here to begin?"

"While a lot of the technology here is quite primitive by Gem standards I do believe that we have the bare minimum of what we need to get started." Peridot stated, looking back towards the junk laying around. "Although we may need to spend the first few days organising what we can and cannot use, that Human seems to have left this place in a good bit of disarray. Although the parts of the space ship your Pearl built should be useful."

"Good once Jasper gets back from patrol I'll let her know that you could use some help with that." I said, looking around the barn again. "And if you two are staying here you'll need some space to yourselves."

"You two? Will you not be staying with us My Diamond?" Peridot asked, noticing I'd left myself out of that sentence.

"I'm contemplating it, but I doubt that I'll be staying here the entire time." I admitted, feeling bad about it when I could almost feeling Peridot's disappointment radiate off of her.

"I-I see, of course My Diamond." Peridot said, her disappointment coming through in her voice as well as it dipped in pitch. "What about the other Gems?"

"I expect Pearl to join in while we build the drill. As I think I mentioned before she has knowledge that will speed things along. Such as the appropriate way to use human tools." I stated while walking through the barn at an even pace, Peridot following behind me to the side. "I'm sure the others will contribute in some way as well, They'll need to if they want to destroy the Cluster and save the Earth."

"If I may, My Diamond... I'd like to again suggest that we contact the other Diamond's for help with this." Peridot said, grabbing my attention. She seemed to stiffen a bit when I stopped and turned to her, but she continued. "Are you sure that we shouldn't contact them? With their help this could be done in perhaps a week or two instead of a few months."

I was about to answer her with a resounding no, but the words got caught on my tongue as I thought about seeing the other Diamonds and I felt a small pang of loneliness. I stopped to think about it and realised I still hadn't made up my mind on what I thought about the Diamond's, besides the facts.

In the back of my mind I knew that they were tyrants, ones who would commit genocide just by a whim. Or was it speciocide? It didn't matter. They were that and more, but it was the more I was having trouble with. The previous Pink's memories had left me with a somewhat double sided impression of the Diamond's. On one hand they were big meanies who never let me-er her do anything, but given how I remember my-her from our memories I can understand why they didn't let her handle any of the responsibilities expected of a Diamond.

Which brought me to their kind side, something which made my heart ache to see them. Yellow was tolerant of me to a point, But was usually who I was given to in my-her earlier years to be looked after. She was strict yes, but she was a kind teacher, She wasn't the only teacher though. Blue was a little more receptive to my silliness-er HER silliness, and she was certainly much more empathetic than either Yellow or White. Often coming to my defence in an argument or hiding me from Yellow that time I had her throne painted brown.

A small smile came to my face as all these thoughts swarmed in my head. The smile disappeared though when I thought about the situation right now, how the show was supposed to go and whether or not we could even handle a visit from the Diamond's right now. In my mind I knew I shouldn't risk it, after all there was a chance that the other Diamonds would use the Cluster as my 'Punishment' for being dead.

'_Would they though? Maybe Yellow would, but I could convince Blue to help without the other two knowing..._' I shook the thought from my head before looking at Peridot with tired eyes.

"I'm tempted but no." I stated, turning around and walking for the entrance to the Barn. I stopped again when those thoughts resurfaced and looked back at Peridot, giving her a stern look. "But just in case see about finding ways to contact the Diamond's, but don't let anyone else know you are doing this. Not even Jasper, if they were to find out we were looking for ways to contact the Diamonds..."

"I understand fully My Diamond." Peridot replied with a smile, giving a nod before walking to a pile of scrap metal and engine parts. "I'll begin categorising what we have."

I nodded back in reply before walking out of the barn and slumping down against one of the doors. Being a Diamond was hard, but I suppose they're made under pressure.

* * *

It had been a few days now and we'd settled in a bit more. Jasper had set up a routine patrol for herself that she would do twice a day, which included journeying to a few abandoned Gem sites and bringing back anything she found that we might be able to use.

I sat back in a chair made of crystalline material that had been coloured Pink for me with a sigh as I looked out to the path Peridot had designed and made with Jaspers help. It led from the warp pad to what used to be the barn and was now what Peridot called 'Central Command', I was still getting used to the whole Diamond thing, and was subtly trying to get the two of them to... well stop worshipping me basically.

My hands clenched a bit onto the arms of the chair they'd made for me when I told them I wouldn't need a throne. They'd obviously put good thought into it during the making because while it was no throne it certainly felt like sitting in one. I have a vague idea of HOW they did that with crystal, but mainly because of how I've seen them build.

Peridot seemed to take my suggestion of an HQ quite seriously and worked hard with Jasper to get the materials necessary to make 'Central Command' I wasn't sure quite how to describe it, and I'm still in awe at how they'd done it within Five days. It was just a few small rooms for now branching off from the main hall, but still. AMAZED.

I'd asked Peridot at one point but she just smiled and said that all Peridot's knew the basics of building with the right materials, even if their expertise was engineering.

I was brought out of my musing of the past few days though when I saw a stream of light in the distance ahead.

"They're here!" I yelled excitedly, jumping out of my chair in exuberance. I could hear Peridot in the hall behind me nearly drop something from the startle my shout must of given her. I picked up my chair and put it at the end of the hall where it slotted into grooves in the floor and locked into place. '_Still not sure why that's a thing_.' I thought to myself as I walked back down the hall to the open entrance and stood there waiting.

Jasper was not who I was expecting to come up the road but I suppose she saw the warp stream activate and came running back from her regular patrol to play body guard.

"Reporting for duty My Diamond." She stated before taking her place beside me as we waited, listening to the clangs and disgruntled mutterings of 'Clod' coming from the Base behind us. "Is she still trying to fix that piece of injector?"

"Yep." I replied simply, looking into the building towards the sound of the ruckus with an amused look on my face. "She seems to be having fun."

"As long as she stays on task." Jasper stated, giving me a quick look before smiling. "You seem to have perked up My Diamond."

"It's been almost a week since I've seen them, I'm happy to see them again." I replied with a smile, although my smile strained a bit as I thought further. "And I want to see what took so long."

"You missed them." Jasper said, more of a statement than a question. She still turned to me for an answer though. She had a look of curiosity on her face, and I felt the need to answer. She was ore and more curious as the days went by, and I found I enjoyed this inquisitive side of her more than the simple kill then ask questions side.

"I did, this is the longest I've been away from them for... for a while." I stated, though with a thoughtful expression on my face I recalled that there hadn't been one day that one of the Crystal Gem's hadn't been by my side. "Besides that we can't really begin without them...well we could but that would be boring."

"As you say My Diamond." Jasper replied, turning her head back to the road. I noticed proudly that she had forgone the nod that usually replaced the salute.

'_Is that an improvement in her? Or is that simply her not showing proper respect?_' A little thought from the back of my head spoke, but I quashed the thought almost as soon as it formed and beamed when I saw Pearl come into view on the road with Steven at her side. Steven waved animatedly as Garnet and Amethyst emerged over the hill behind them.

"I'm here My Diamond!" Peridot exclaimed as she walked out of the Base to stand beside me. "I'm sorry it took so long, a lot of the Gem tech we've scrounged up is simply archaic. But it'll do for now. I was busy working on a decent generator for the Command Centre so that we have enough power to begin work efficiently. I'm so glad to have my limb enhancers information storage, I'd hate to have to work on just memory alone."

"Yes, it would be terrible if anything ever happened to them." I said out loud as I thought about the show. Is this how different constructing the drill would have been if Peridot still had her limb enhancers?

"Pink!" I heard Steven yell in the distance breaking away from Pearl and the others to come running towards me. Jasper motioned to move in front of me but I put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her to show it would be okay, a few seconds later an excited Steven jumped at me and I caught the giggling boy. "I missed you so much! You've been gone for so long!"

"It's only been a few days Steven." I replied, a crooked smile on my face as I tried not to laugh at Steven's silliness.

"I know!" Steven said looking at the building behind us. "Soooo are you gonna tell me what happened to the barn?"

"Ha ha, wait until everyone else is here Steven. That way I only have to explain it once." I stated, putting Steven back on the ground.

"It looks so cool!" Steven exclaimed, looking past me into the building.

"You can thank Peridot for how it looks, she's actually quite the impressive architect." I said, looking over to see Peridot blush at the compliment.

"I-it's nothing My Diamond, simply re-purposed era one gem tech." Peridot stated, looking back into the building. "It's not even finished yet."

"Well if it looks this cool now, I'm sure it'll look great when it's finished." Steven said in reply, beaming a genuine smile in Peridot's direction.

She smiled warmly back. "Thank you, Steven."

My sight was drawn away from them when I noticed Pearl lightly jogging over, a slightly worried look on her face.

"Steven! Sorry My Diamond, he's just so excited to see you again." Pearl stated with a smile towards Steven who smiled back brightly. "Anyway, the important thing is that we're here now. Speaking of which, care to explain the building?"

"Peridot thought a better base of operations aside from the barn was needed, Jasper agreed and I was curious about what they'd come up with." I replied, taking a glance back at the building before looking back at Pearl just as Amethyst and Garnet walked up next to her. "It's not complete yet but we have some rooms finished, like the uhh great hall?" I asked, pointing the question towards Peridot.

"Despite the lack of and actual throne for you My Diamond I would still refer to it as the Throne Room. After all your chair does lock into place at the head of the room." Peridot said simply, but with a smugness only the designer could have.

"Throne Room?" Garnet asked, looking a bit apprehensive at the fact that apparently I had a 'Throne Room'.

"It's more of an entrance hall with a chair in it really." I said, trying to get across that it wasn't my idea. "Jasper and Peridot thought it would be appropriate to have at least a place of power for me to sit in." I added with a small smile.

"I see." Garnet said, relaxing again. "Have you made any progress on the Drill?"

"We were waiting on Pearl so we could start actually." I admitted, giving said Gem a smile. "I figured since you know a bit about mechanical stuff that you'd be a good help, so I didn't want to start without you."

"My Diamond was VERY insistent on it." Peridot stated, a little bit of irritation slipping into her tone.

"Well then, shall we get started?" Pearl asked, clasping her hands together. "How about a quick tour of the facilities My Diamond? Then we can start the planning."

"I think that's a wonderful idea My Pearl." I replied with a smile and a nod. With a sweeping gesture I motioned her and the others inside. "So the first room we'll be going to is the storage room..."

* * *

Several days later...

I looked up at the Drill itself as Pearl and Peridot continued working on the electronics, Peridot occasionally correcting Pearl, and Pearl occasionally correcting her. I smiled and sat back in my chair as they worked, enjoying a rest after moving around some of the essential stuff they'd needed from the storage room inside the Base. Jasper had been opposed to my helping at first but I talked her into it, she actually seemed proud of me.

Thinking on it I looked back at the base and silently thanked Jasper and Peridot for making it. While I didn't really need it for some reason I did feel like I wanted something like this, I rubbed the arm of the chair I was in as I thought this and turned my gaze back to My Pearl and the other Gem's helping to build the Drill.

I heard a loud grunt and the rending of steel as Jasper tore the side off of a piece of Gem tech she'd brought back to scavenge from. While it probably would have been easier to take it apart with tools Jasper seemed to enjoy taking apart the outside with her hands, so we let her. Peridot complained about having to shape the metal afterwards but conceded that she would have had to do that anyway to fit the metal onto the Drill itself.

"Hey P." I heard from beside me, startling me a bit.

I turned with a hand instinctively over where my heart would be and relaxed once I saw it was only Amethyst.

"Hey Amethyst, you scared me there." I admitted, glancing down at her with a light smile. "We haven't really gotten a chance to talk since you guys got here, how've you been?"

"You really wanna know?" Amethyst asked, thinking over her answer before she looked over at Pearl. "It was weird, and not the Steven kind of weird. For one reason or another the entire time we were spent getting ready Pearl wouldn't stop talking about you."

I blushed a bit as she said that, giving Pearl a furtive glance to see whether she'd heard Amethyst and I. "Really? I kind of knew she was into me, but... You're sure?"

"It get's worse girl, I-I think you 'Broke' her somehow." Amethyst stated, watching Pearl work with a slight grimace.

My non-existant heart gave a bit of a start at those Words, bad memories bubbling their way to the surface. But before I could say anything Amethyst continued.

"All she talks about is My Diamond this and My Diamond that, Garnet and I were worried so we... Sort of delayed coming here to see whether being away from you would 'fix' her." Amethyst continued, ending with a sigh. "We even tried talking about Rose to her, but no matter what we said she was unfazed. It's like she's not herself any more."

"I-I-" I tried to say something but the words caught in my throat as images of another Pearl popped up in my head. "I Didn't mean to-"

"It doesn't matter whether you meant to, we're scared for Pearl." Amethyst said, a bit of bite in her voice as she spoke. She turned to me and she softened a bit though. "And I can tell you're worried for her too. We were hoping you could do something about it."

"I'll have a chat with Pearl once I've thought over some things." I replied, I'm pretty sure I was glowing a light pink with anxiety by now. "But thanks for talking to me about this Amethyst, I was worried you didn't like me, since Jasper and Peridot showed up."

"I'm worried P, We all are." Amethyst stated, raising her voice a little. She gave a quick look around to see whether anyone noticed, as did I. But only Garnet was looking in our direction as she leant along the wall of the Base, she gave a subtle nod before going to help the other Gems. Steven trailed behind her. "Ever since those Home World Gems showed up you've been acting more like a Diamond than usual. Garnet's words, not mine. Although I can see what she's talking about. Only I sort of saw it before then too, in little things you and Pearl used to say to each other. Not just the 'My Diamond' or 'My Pearl' stuff either."

"I-I know." I admitted, tearing up a bit. I sucked in a bit of air and stood up, grabbing my chair off of the ground. "Come on, we should have this chat somewhere more secluded."

Amethyst nodded and walked into the base ahead of me, I looked back at the other Gem's and saw Garnet and Steven distracting them while we walked inside. I gave a little smile when I realised Garnet had planned this with her future vision. I placed my chair back into it's spot in the 'Throne room', then lead Amethyst to where my private quarters were and we walked inside.

Amethyst pretty much gawked at how lavish the room looked despite it's simplicity, I smiled when I remembered how excited Peridot and even Jasper had been to show my my new room. They'd been so excited about it I couldn't help but be as well, and it had been a nice place to retreat from the world occasionally. Like I was doing now.

"Woah, this... this is-kinda what I was talking about. Still, way cool." Amethyst said as I gestured her over to a simple set of table and chairs that Jasper had made for me out of some rocks. Peridot had refined them afterwards and now they shone much like everything else in the room.

"I know, They keep showering me in gifts and all of this stuff that's expected of a Diamond." I stated, slumping into one of the two chairs, Amethyst taking the one opposite. "The problem is I'm not sure I don't like it."

"There's got to be some stuff you don't like about it." Amethyst argued, although she took a quick glance around afterwards appreciating the room again. "Have to admit though bein' a Diamond comes with some pretty sweet digs."

"Heh, you should see my room in the palace back on Homeworld. Not as much human things there though." I replied, shaking the thoughts out of my head afterwards though. "That's not important, I don't even really care about the whole being more like a Diamond thing. I just want to fix Pearl!"

"Really? You care about her that much?" Amethyst said, a little surprised but not too much. "Should've figured, you two are head over heels for each other."

"I-She-y-yeah... Yeah I guess so...uurrgh." I buried my face in my hands and glowed Pink in embarrassment. "Arrrgh... god damn it I'm a gay space rock."

"Ha ha, yeah if you wanna put it that way." Amethyst chuckled, a smile returning to her face at my expense. "Still, we gotta do something."

"You're right, I don't think even Pearl would enjoy seeing Pearl like this." I stated, thinking back to how she'd been these past few weeks. "It's almost like she's back to the way she used to be, before the whole rebellion."

At that point something clicked in my head, and I realised what was happening.

_'She must be going back to _Old Programming _Because of something I said.' _I thought to myself, a bit of fear in my heart. _'I need to fix this.'_

"Amethyst, could you go get Pearl for me. I need to talk with her." I said, resting my head in a hand.

"You're doing the Diamond thing again." Amethyst stated as she got up. "It may not be part of the problem, but if it is. Please think of Pearl."

I watched as Amethyst left through the white sliding door, leaving me in my room. I buried my head in my hands again as the thoughts in it swarmed. A single tear slid down my cheek and out of my hand, dropping onto the table.

What was I going to say to her? What COULD I say to her? She still seemed a bit like herself but as Amethyst had said, she was different. WAS it related to me feeling more like a Diamond? I didn't see how that would be possible, but there were a lot of things that I could do that didn't seem possible even for other Gems.

"Ugh, Being a Diamond sucks." I said to myself, wallowing in self pity.

I sat there for a good minute or two waiting until the sliding doors opened again and Pearl walked in.

"You wanted to talk My Diamond?" Pearl asked, her tone even.

"Yeah, you might want to take a seat for this one." I replied, gesturing to the seat.

"Is- Is everything okay My Diamond?" Pearl asked, concern lacing her words as she sat down across from me. "You seem, sad."

"I was just having a chat with Amethyst and she made me realise something." I said to her, glowing pink a little again as I struggled with the words. "I... I think you've changed a bit, because of me."

"I-I don't think I understand. Changed?" Pearl asked, looking over the table at me with a raised eyebrow. "I know I have, I thought you'd prefer me like this? Do you, do you not like me?" Pearl added, getting a bit distraught herself.

"Of course I-wait, you changed yourself?" I asked, thinking on Pearl's words. "You can do that?"

"You-er Rose taught me how." She stated, blushing a little at her lip of the tongue. "I suppose I have been going a little much with treating you like a Diamond, but you seemed to be enjoying it and I just want to make you happy."

"Pearl... You already make me happy when you're being yourself." I stated, relieved but a little exasperated that she'd been doing this just to please me. "Did you enjoy acting the part of an obedient Pearl?" I added, hoping for a negative answer.

"Well, no. Not at first..." Pearl stated, wringing her hands and looking up to me with her cheeks tinted blue. "But when I saw you going along with it, still defending my independence against Peridot and Jasper. It, it just felt right to keep doing it. I'm sorry if it's been worrying you, I can stop if you want."

"I-" _'Do I want her to stop?' _I thought. "...Do you want to stop?" I asked finally, more concerned about how she felt than myself.

"Maybe I'll reign it in a bit." Pearl said after a few seconds, she stopped wringing her hands and looked up at me with a loving smile. "Thanks for the talk My Diamond, it means a lot to me to know that you really care how I feel."

"Of course I do My Pearl." I replied, a light feeling on my heart as I stood from the table so we could leave and get back to working on the Drill. I was glad that my fears were alleviated, and I was going to have a bit of a talk with Amethyst and Garnet after this to let them know there was nothing to worry about as well. "Now lets go let Garnet know there's nothing to worry about."

"Garnet?" Pearl asked quizzically before shaking her head. "Of course she'd be the one to think of doing all this. That future vision of hers can be such a curse sometimes."

"Depends who's on the receiving end." I stated with a smile. I offered my hand to Pearl. "Come on."

Pearl smiled and grabbed my hand and we walked out of the room as one, and slowly everything went white.

* * *

A/N Ahhhh another chapter finished, and a lot more to go!

I'd like to thank everyone who reads and reviews this story for giving me the inspiration to keep going, You guys are the reason I write. So make sure to leave a review letting me know what you thought and Stay Tuned For More!


	15. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 A Problematic Fusion

* * *

"Woah I-we feel weird." The new Gem said as she looked down at her hands, a slight blush forming on her face. "I-You- Pink! We fused! I know! We know. So who are we?"

The blush went away as we looked down at ourselves, marvelling at our new form. A single pair of legs and arms, the arms wandering over our newly formed body. 'I suppose this means we were compatible?' We thought to ourselves, growing more solid in our existence with every second.

"I-I'm-Oh butter nuts I'm hot." I said out loud looking down at myself, developing a blush. "Is this what Garnet feels like when she's...her? No wonder she's so together, all the time..."

'So who are we then?' I heard Pearl's voice echo in our mind as I further explored our own body. The answer came almost immediately to the both of us, as we shared in finding our new identity.

"We-I-I'm Tourmaline. Pink Tourmaline." I said to myself, giggling a little to myself when my hand found a ticklish spot. "Wait, was I an accident?"

I stopped my feeling and finally took in the situation, looking around. "Well if that's the case I think We should-NOPE NOT DONE YET." PT said to herself, retreating back into our room lest we be found by Jasper.

"Oh right, Jasper. Buggery." she said to herself, as she realised she might have to exist another day. "Uuugh, I hate it when I'm right. YOU TWO BETTER GET TOGETHER AGAIN."

Like that Tourmaline glowed white as Pearl and I stumbled apart, both of us with huge blushes.

"Uuuh." I started dumbly as I watched Pearls expression change from confusion to shock, I blushed HEAVILY. I could almost feel myself glowing Pink, hell I probably was if the shine off the floor had anything to say. "Ahem, was it uh... Was it as good for you as it was for me?"

"My- Pink! We fused!" Pearl exclaimed, mostly with joy although a hint of shock still remained in her voice. The heavy blue tinge on her face though told me what I needed to know. "We were so...so... Elegant! And refined!"

"I'll say we were fine." I said out loud, "And we were tall, not too tall though. And we were evenly proportioned everywhere."

"You don't have to tell me..." Pearl said flirtatiously with a sultry smile, her excitement shone through though as she continued. "I don't think I've ever been in such a stable fusion! It almost reminded me of Stevonnie, no extra eyes or limbs-"

"Wait wait, hold up." I said, stopping her right there. "Stevonnie? Steven fused? With Connie?"

"Oh, yes. It happened while you were here." Pearl stated with a smile. "I didn't think it was possible at first, and I was a little against it being we didn't know how it would end being the first Gem-Human Fusion."

"I imagine Garnet was overjoyed." I stated with a smile, thinking of how it would've brought Steven and Connie closer together. It sucked that I'd missed it though, would have been fun to help them with the experience.

"It was a little distressing how excited she was, but that doesn't matter! WE FUSED!" Pearl exclaimed again, grabbing me tight in a hug lifting me off of the floor.

"Woah! Pearl, we need to be quiet or-"

"My Diamond, is everything okay here? I heard screaming?" Jasper said as she walked into the room, eyes immediately locking onto Pearl. She grimaced as she traced her arms down to her grip around me holding me up. "Put our Diamond down NOW."

A little startled Pearl did just that, and I dusted myself off.

"Are you okay My Diamond?" Jasper asked with a tinge of worry in her voice, although I could still hear the intensity in her voice as she stared down Pearl.

"I'm fine Jasper, Pearl was just a little over excited at how well the work on the Drill has been going." I replied, lying like a liar. "Have there been any updates in my absence?" I added quickly, changing the subject.

Jasper hummed as she contemplated my sentence, giving Pearl one last look before turning to me.

"The main planning for the Drill is complete, or so Peridot said." Jasper explained before a smile grew on her face. "Which means I get to go out and collect some more of that Era one junk so we can put it together."

"Well, I know how much you enjoy that." I stated with a genuine smile. "You must run into a lot of those corrupted Gems, I have to remember to thank Peridot for setting up that bubble room as well. It wouldn't do for any of my subjects to suffer unduly, And I'm very proud that you've taken it upon yourself to save them."

"I-It's nothing My Diamond." Jasper replied bashfully, turning away slightly. "I just like fighting, and this happens to involve that AND serving My Diamond."

"Regardless, thank you." I said again with a nod before stepping towards her, Pearl a step or two behind me. "Would you mind escorting us to the build site, I want to see what I can do to help again. And have a chat with everyone as well."

"Of course My Diamond." Jasper replied with a smile, turning around and walking ahead of us.

As we walked I turned and gave Pearl a smile, one that she returned as we made our way outside and over to a shaded area where the Drill was being built. There was a little bit of progress done, although a curious Garnet was following us with her eyes as we made our way over. Steven however couldn't resist himself however and rushed over with a smile on his face.

"Heeeey Pearl, How're you feeling?" He asked, glancing hopefully between the two of us as he did.

"I'm fine Steven, you don't need to worry about me." Pearl replied kneeling own and tussling the hair on his head as he giggled at the action. "My Diamond and I had a lovely conversation after which we...Came together on a few other subjects."

"Came together?" Steven asked, a little confused by the wording. "Did you guys talk about some REALLY important stuff then?"

"We did Steven, and we... put our heads together afterwards to come up with a solution." I added, chuckling a bit. "Anyway I heard you and Connie fused! I'm so happy for you!"

"Oh yeah! It was pretty fun at first, then it kind of got lonely and weird." Steven explained with a slightly sombre expression as he remembered the day. "Oh yeah that's right! Connie wanted to come here and check out the drill! The other Gem's said she's not allowed but you can give her permission right?"

"The Home-world Gem's interacting with a Human?" I said as I thought it over for a second. "I think it would be good for them, I'll have a chat with Jasper and Peridot at some point. Are you alright with it Pearl?"

"I certainly agree that it would be good for Peridot to get to know Connie My Diamond." Pearl replied, looking over to the Gem in question who was instructing Jasper on which shape this particular piece of metal needed to be for the Drill. "I'm more concerned about how Jasper will take it."

"Even if she doesn't like it she'll fall in line." I stated as I looked at Jasper working. "Besides that I think some interaction with anyone for her is good, she seems very... solitary."

Everyone murmured their agreement at that. Now we had something to look forward to as well, which I think was good for everyone with The Cluster sort of hanging over everyone's heads. I myself was a bit worried, I had no idea how anything would happen now. A few things were still staying the same timeline wise but with Peridot and Jasper settled on Earth early and on friendly terms with the Crystal Gem's. I didn't know how much further my knowledge of the future could protect me.

I gave a worried glance to the Drill and sighed, trying not to worry about the future apart from the immediate obstacle in front of us.

"Hey Sis, you okay?" Steven asked with a slight worried glance of his own in my direction.

I sent him a smile back and replied "Yeah, just a bit worried about how all of this is going to pan out."

"Things will work out fine My Diamond." Pearl stated, trying to cheer me up as she placed a warm hand on my shoulder. "It has too."

"My Diamond!" I heard Peridot yell as she sprinted over. "Jasper just made me realise something important about my mission!"

"More important than destroying the cluster?" I asked, curious but a bit confused. "Go on."

"Well you see Jasper was going on about how much better it is working for you than it is working for Yellow Diamond, I tried to make points in her favor because even if you are pretty great Yellow is great too. And then we got to arguing-" I raised a hand to stop her monologuing and she got the hint "Right, we figured out that without contact to the Diamond's, they may think my mission was a failure and either send someone else or try to contact us themselves."

"Well that's... Worrying." I said mainly to myself, although I felt a slight hint of fear in the air from Pearl and Steven. "I'm assuming you want permission to set up some sort of communications hub of some sort you can communicate from?"

"Per your orders My Diamond I've already started work setting up an avenue of communication." Peridot replied, not even noticing the looks of pure shock on Pearl and Steven's faces. I didn't even need to turn around and look at them to know this was going to go south pretty quick. "I just need a little more time to-"

"Wait, aren't the other Diamond's bad?" Steven asked innocently, walking into my view. "Why would you want to get in contact with them?"

"You- I- My Dia-Pink... Why?" Pearl asked from behind me, her voice quivered as she spoke. "Why would you do something like this? What were you thinking?"

I glared down Peridot as Pearl spoke to me, clearly she took the hint and realised she'd done something wrong and gave a quick 'EEP' before sprinting away. I'd deal with her later.

"Please, say something." Pearl pleaded from behind me, sadness evident in her tone.

I turned and looked at her, My Pearl. Her expression was torn somewhere between anger and sadness, yep that's betrayal alright.

"Pearl... I-I didn't want you to find out like this." I said, genuinely concerned. "OR you Steven, for that matter. I was going to let you guys know when it was operational, but...This was the back up plan in case we couldn't destroy the Cluster."

"Back up plan?!" Pearl asked disbelievingly. "My Diamond please tell me you're joking."

"I don't want to think we will fail, but I MUST be prepared if we do." I replied sternly, surprising her and Steven. "I love the Earth, I do. But if this doesn't work we could accidentally activate the Cluster early, and I don't want any of you to be shattered while rushing to find a way off planet if this all goes south. So I asked Peridot to set up a way to communicate with Home world if things go bad."

"That's-" Pearl started, taking a deep sigh before looking at me half lidded. "I appreciate the thought My Diamond but was it really the best idea to get 'Peridot' to do it?"

"I know she still idolises Yellow a bit but she's currently sworn to me." I stated. "I don't think she'd go against my orders, not willingly."

"How do we know that she's not actually completed the communicator already and hasn't been sending messages?" Pearl asked with a sudden worried tone.

"You think she's in some kind of secret team?" Steven asked Pearl.

"Look if you're that concerned I'll ask her about the device and where it's being built." I said, trying to calm the two of them down. "If anything untoward has been going on I'll deal with it personally."

"You're not gonna hurt her are you?" Steven asked, concern for Peridot written on his face. "'Cause even if she's been talking to the Diamonds she only meant well, also she's kinda nice."

"Well we're going to have to find her first." Pearl stated, pointing towards the Base. "She ducked in there while we were talking My Diamond."

"No Steven, we're not going to hurt her." I stated, looking softly down at him. "But we need to find out whether she is going behind my back to the other Diamond's, It'll make Pearl feel better when we find out she isn't."

"Alright..." Steven said, still a little worried. "Should I go get the oth-"

"We already heard." Garnet said from right behind us making me jump in fright, Jasper was the one who caught me.

"If that RUNT HAS been going against your orders My Diamond..." Jasper growled, her anger VERY evident.

"There's absolutely NO evidence of that." I stated as Jasper set me down. "Now lets find Peridot and settle this, remember. No one is to harm her if we find her, we just need to find her so we can sort this mess out."

"Your mess." Garnet stated simply, her arms crossed as we moved into the base. Jasper growled at her but I raised a hand to soothe her aggression.

"Yes, MY mess. Now let's find Peridot." I stated, a little tense and confused with the mistrust being thrown around.

"She should be this way." Garnet said leading us towards the wall behind my throne.

She examined the wall for a bit before I slowly shimmied over and touched a very specific part of the wall, making an entrance way glow pink before revealing itself. Garnet gave me a look and I simply said "Back up plans, got to have them."

"A secret passage way though?" Garnet asked questioningly, walking next to me with Jasper close behind her. "Seems a tad excessive."

"Oh come on you know it's cool." I said in reply, turning back and looking at Steven as proof as he marvelled at the passage. You could almost see him buzz with excitement despite the growing tension in the air.

"No arguing there, still." Garnet said with a small smile as we walked forwards, a break off in the corridor turning left being where we needed to go. "How did she gain access to this passageway in the first place? Surely she would have built it for only her Diamond."

"My Diamond values our lives as much as her own, and as such requested that we too could access the escape tunnel." Jasper replied from behind up proudly. "In case of emergency, I don't believe this counts. Although considering it's still under construction..."

"So where are we headed?" Amethyst asked from the back.

"To the communications room." I replied solemnly, still hoping Peridot wouldn't stoop as far as contacting the Diamonds for something as simple as this. Lord knows it would be extremely out of character for her. "Are you sure she's in there Garnet?"

"Very." Garnet said with a nod. "Although I don't know what to expect in there at the moment, it could be anything."

"Wait, anything?" Steven asked, a little confused. "You mean there could be a chocolate dinosaur in there?"

Everyone froze as they tried to process that.

"The...Odds of that are very low." Garnet replied, breaking the stunned silence.

"But not zero." Steven said in reply with a determined glint in his eye. "Pink, let's get that dinosaur..."

"Uhhhh, sure..." I replied, trying to decide whether to laugh or worry about Steven's mental health.

We reached the end of the corridor and stopped before the door, hearing some metal clanging from the inside and some... inventive cursing from Peridot. I gestured everyone back up a step and approached the door, giving it a knock.

"Peridot, it's your Diamond. Mind if I come in?" I asked politely as the noises from the other side of the door ceased.

"O-of course my Diamond! Just let me- Ah ha!" I heard some more metal clanging and what sounded like some buttons clicking before the sounds of her Limb enhancers made their way to the door and it wooshed open.

"Oh..." Peridot stated as she looked at all of us in the hall. "Uhh...A secret tunnel is only secret if you 'keep' it secret, My Diamond." she added, looking a bit frustrated but shrugged and led us into the room anyway.

"Well we were a bit worried about you after you ran off like that so we came to check on you." I replied, gesturing to everyone before looking back at her with a smile. "And Pearl had some concerns too."

"What about?" Peridot asked cluelessly.

"Have you been in contact with the Diamonds?" Jasper asked simply, a stern look on her face as she glared down at Peridot.

"What? Oh STARS no, what made you think that?" Peridot asked, looking a bit scandalised.

"When the Crystal Gem's heard from you that we were making an emergency communications hub...Well they got concerned." I said, glancing back to the Gems in question.

Garnet seemed as impassive as ever, but Amethyst and Pearl seemed tense. Steven was just looking around at all the cool spacey stuff that was lying around with stars in his eyes.

"I noticed, it was why I tactically retreated. But they shouldn't be." Peridot stated, walking in front of the hastily put together machine. "While I've already programmed the Hub to communicate on the emergency Diamond network, it's not going to call them unless My Diamond herself is in the room and the machine itself is operational."

She took a pause in her reply to gesture to the many wires and parts laid around us. While most of it seemed to be hooked up to something, it didn't LOOK like things were working.

"And as you can see, it's very NOT operational." Peridot stated, more frustration evident in her voice. "Not for lack of trying, I just can't seem to get all of the required power capacitors to sit right in the casing. Let alone the image stabilisation feed."

"We get it, it's not working." Amethyst stated, walking up to her. "I'm just glad you didn't finish this hunk of junk. It would've sucked if we had to destroy it or something." She added, banging her fist on the console.

The console blinked to life and a pink Diamond floated above the console, showing static at first as we all sat stunned as Amethyst stood stock still with wide eyes with her fist still raised above where she hit the console. The image that blinked into view that terrified us.

"This is Yellow Diamond's control Room, who authorised you to-" The Yellow Pearl on the screen stopped talking and froze in place eyes wide as she looked at us from the other side of the screen. "But-That's-"

Both parties froze up and stared at each other, neither one of us really knowing what to do. "Pearl, why is someone on the Diamond line?" I heard a familiar voice say from the screen.

"I- My Diamond-" The Pearl started to say before the camera started to move of it's own accord.

"Uhgg, I'll take it from here." Yellow stated with disinterest as she brought the camera up to face her on her personal throne in her room.

"Yellow Diamond..." Pearl muttered softly with a bit of fear in her voice, retreating a bit back towards the door.

"Please state your purpose as to why-" Yellow started before she looked at the camera and her eyes went wide with shock. "It's-It's not possible..."

"Heeeeeeeeeey... Yellow." I said with an extremely nervous smile. "Soooooo. How are things?"

"What are you doing?" I heard Garnet whisper loudly to me, a little bit of anger and fear in her voice as well. I thought I detected sadness in her tone as well, which made sense I suppose.

"I don't know." I whispered back, glowing a little pink from the stress. "What exactly am I supposed to do?!" I added with another whisper.

"Pink- That really IS you!" Yellow stated excitedly, grabbing the camera and practically jumping out of her throne to bring it closer to her face. "Where are you?! How are you still- It doesn't matter. I'm coming to bring you home."

"There's no need for that!" I said hurriedly, stepping towards the screen. "I'm fine, everything's fine here! …...How are you?" I added with a stupid grin.

"Pink, we thought you were dead! You have to come home to us, whether you like it or not." Yellow stated, her face growing stern.

"I can't leave now!" I replied, getting a bit angry myself. "If I leave the Earth might be destroyed!"

"Earth?" Yellow replied simply. "So that's where you are."

"And here's where I'm staying." I replied, my glare intensifying. "There is no way I'm letting MY PLANET, get cracked apart by YOUR off-cut idea of a Geo-Weapon."

"Geo? Oh stars the Cluster." Yellow stated, her face showing a bit of trepidation. "Did my Peridot and your Jasper arrive for the scouting mission? How much time do you have to evacuate?!"

"Yes, and we have half a solar orbit according to Peridot." I stated, still a little angry. "But I'm not evacuating, I'm going to either find a way to contain the Cluster or destroy it. With or without your help."

"Uggh." Yellow Diamond groaned as she massaged the bridge of her nose. "You're definitely Pink, I don't know any other Gem who's so stubborn."

"Darn tootin'." I replied with a simple smile, hands on my hips. "Now are you going to help with this or not?"

"I was looking forward to seeing the place where you perished evaporate from existence." Yellow stated, a tired look on her face. She looked back up at the camera with a small smile though before it was tucked behind her regular facade of stolidness. "But now that I know that you're alive, I suppose I'll have to respect your wishes. It IS your colony after all."

"Thank you Yellow, I mean it." I said genuinely. "If you're okay with it I'd like to inform you that I've also... sort of claimed your Peridot, she's the one currently helping me rebuild in my way."

"You can have her if that is the case, the only reason we picked her is because she was expendable." Yellow replied with a wave of her hand. "I am glad to see your Jasper returned to you however, she has been quite the dependable soldier."

"Look Yellow I'd love to chat more but I have some things to take care of now that I know you're going to be visiting." I stated, walking towards the console. "When can we expect you?"

"I'll be preparing to leave immediately, I'll also inform Blue as well." Yellow stated, her features softening. "She'll be overjoyed to hear of your return, as we all are."

"It'll be good to see you." I said back with a strained expression, trying to end the conversation. 'Guess I underestimated how much Yellow missed me.' I thought to myself as I prepared to destroy the console.

"Wait, how did you survive the blast White, Blue and I shot at Earth?" Yellow asked suddenly, a little worried. "We were certain we'd destroyed all Gems there!"

"You... did something a bit worse actually..." I replied, looking off to the side as I thought about the corruption. "But we can discuss that when you get here. Bye!" And with that I brought my fist down on the console, fracturing the frame a bit and causing sparks to shoot out of it before the line to Home World was cut and suddenly I was alone in the room with the other Gems.

"Well... That could have gone worse." Steven stated with a smile as everyone glanced in his direction. "She seemed a bit mean, but she's going to help us now. Right?"

"This is a disaster." Garnet stated, panicking a bit. "Who knows what destruction the Diamond's will bring with them this time." she added with a glance at me. She looked away when I noticed though.

"They wont bring any destruction with them besides that of the Cluster." I said trying to reassure her.

"Oh come on they can't be that bad if Yellow was willing to go along with Pink." Amethyst stated in my defence as well as the Diamond's. "I get that they're in charge of everything and they're the BIG BAD but c'mon, you telling me you didn't SEE how broken up inside she was?"

"I'm not saying that." Garnet replied a little frustrated as she looked the whole of us over. "Regardless of how happy they are that Pink is alive, they'll likely do something destructive."

"What because they're Diamond's?" I asked with a hint of frustration, I'd had enough difficult conversations for today. Hell for the week.

"Yes." Garnet replied simply, so simply that it should have not felt like a lance through the heart.

Pearl was the first to come to my side as I felt a single tear slide down my cheek. She tried to sooth me but on the inside I knew she was right, but still I couldn't help but let the tears fall after that.

"You know she didn't mean you My Diamond." Pearl said, her arms wrapped around my shoulders. "Right Garnet?" Pearl asked pointedly with a hard stare.

"She did start a war." Garnet replied again, getting a shocked gasp from Steven and Amethyst. "Pearl. Amethyst. You know what to do." She added, her hands glowing white.

"Garnet! Why are you saying these things?!" Steven managed to say before a yellow and orange fist cracked into Garnets head, sending her flying through the wall behind her with a loud crash.

"Do NOT make my Diamond cry again FUSION or I WILL. BREAK. YOU." Jasper stated, her fist still smoking a bit from dusting Garnet's glasses.

"Jasper, I appreciate the sentiment but please refrain from hurting my friends." I stated, observing the destruction before me. I glanced through the sparking hole in the wall where Garnet stood, ready to continue fighting. Her gauntlets now properly summoned. "Even if they're not acting like it."

Jasper looked still ready to fight. Muscles tensed and relaxed before Jasper lowered her fists "Yes My Diamond."

"Are you two really just going to stand there and let this happen?" Garnet asked unbelievingly, with a look at Pearl and Amethyst. "First she takes control over two Home World Gem's and then we find out she's building a base, and now she's contacted the Diamond's! We talked about this!"

My heart sunk a bit further in my chest as I looked Garnet in the eyes without her glasses on for the first time in a while, I'm not sure I liked what I saw. She glanced searchingly between Amethyst and Pearl before the former spoke up.

"Dude you know that she's not bad, We've lived with Pink and gotten to know her. What's been with you these past weeks?" Amethyst replied, concern clearly displayed on her face as she observed the situation. She moved between Garnet and I to stand next to Jasper and was quickly joined by Peridot. "I'm NOT goin' along with this, it's WRONG."

"Pearl, surely you see now what's going on?" Garnet asked her directly, Pearl looked up from where she bent down beside me and sent a glare at Garnet.

"All I see is a Gem too afraid of the past to reliably see into the future." Pearl stated standing up and summoning her spear before moving defensibly in front of me. "You've talked to me about your fears for what Pink may turn into for what seems like this whole month past now, but what you fail to realise is that is has been YOU changing. Changing for the worst! How could you even think about doing this to one of your friends?"

"It's the only way to keep the Earth from becoming a colony again!" Garnet replied angrily and seemingly in desperation after seeing Pearl and Amethyst wouldn't side with her.

"What are you all saying! Why are you all so ready to hurt each other?!" Steven yelled from the sidelines, starting to tear up.

I was wondering that myself as I stared down Garnet from behind the protection of my friends.

"She was planning on bubbling you." Pearl stated with evident anger, her eye's looked torn though, there was still evident sadness in them. My eyes widened in shock and Steven took a sudden gasp. "She saw you making another Earth Colony with her future vision after Jasper and Peridot arrived. Since then she's been asking us to trust her that this is what would be best for Earth."

"You...NO!" Steven shouted, running to stand in front of Jasper.

Jasper shuffled her feet back a bit warily as he approached but I saw her smile when Steven summoned his shield, pointed at Garnet.

"I don't know what's got into you Garnet! Thinking all these bad things, But I wont let you hurt my Sister!" Steven yelled at her, a few tears running down his face. It was all I could do not to push through the others to hug him and tell him everything would be okay. But Garnet was being VERY adamant about apparently bubbling me. "She's not bad!"

"Garnet... Tha-That can't be true... right?" I asked the opposing Gem, my voice quivering at the sadness from the betrayal I felt. "Why didn't you just TALK to me?"

"I wanted to, I did." Garnet explained taking a step back away from the hole. "But I knew you wouldn't listen to me, you've changed Pink. Only you can change back, and if you can't..." Her gauntlet's grew in size as she finished the sentence, emphasising her choice in the matter.

Everyone else tensed in response and I sent one final plea to her "Garnet please, we don't want to fight you! Well maybe Jasper does... But the rest of us are family! Please don't do this, The Crystal Gem's need you!"

"I hate saying it." Garnet said, starting to tear up herself with a sob. But she paid the tears no mind and reformed her glasses over her eyes before pointing her Gauntlet's at us. "The only Crystal Gem here is me."

My heart nearly dropped out of my chest at the words, as did Pearl's and Amethyst's it seemed. They flinched at the words and that was all that Garnet needed. The next few seconds were a blur as Garnet's gauntlet's rocketed off of her arms and towards us, angled towards the roof so as not to hit Steven.

Regardless I pushed my way into the middle of the group and grabbed Steven who was crying harder now, his shield failing. I set a shield between us and the explosion as it tore and cracked the roof apart but we were knocked to the floor from the blast and the ceiling had a hole torn through it as several charred pieces of Gem-Tech rained down on us, my shield making a ringing noise every time something from the ceiling hit it.

I heard a loud growl and a scream as Jasper leapt out from the cover of the shield above us and forced her way through some debris to follow after Garnet, with an angry snarl she turned to look at me and her look softened a bit once she realised I was okay.

"Permission to pursue the renegade Gem My Diamond?" She asked, clearly remembering what I had said earlier during this fiasco.

"Granted. Just... Please leave her uncracked." I reiterated, holding Steven a little closer. "She's not in her right mind at the moment, but I still believe we can get through to her."

"Forgive me My Diamond but she should be punished SEVERELY for this." Jasper replied, the snarl back on her face as she looked outside the building.

"Save that for when we get her back, but I will handle it personally." I replied forcefully, looking Jasper hard in the eyes before a hug from Steven softened me. "Please, just find her and bring her back to us."

With a nod Jasper took off with a bolt out the door, shaking a few bits of debris free in the room that bounced harmlessly off of us. I sat down on the ground trying to comprehend everything that had just happened in what didn't even seem like five minutes, I heard Steven sniffle and crawl onto my lap. I let him rest his head against my chest and I rested my hand on his head, feeling the need for loving contact myself.

"I know she was talking about this but, I-I just can't believe she'd actually do this." Pearl stated, the shock finally setting in. "And she put Steven in danger as well. Oh when I find her I'm gonna-"

"Not the time P." Amethyst stated as she walked past her to us, getting in on the hug as well.

I opened my arms as she came and and sat down with us and joined in on the sad moment. Soon Pearl came and sat down as well, stretching her arms around all of us. As we sat and lamented on what we had lost today.

* * *

A/N

This hurt to write, it really did. But the show must go on! I'm particularly sad that Pink and Pearl's fusion didn't get as much limelight in this chapter, but you can expect her in later chapters! So with a heavy heart I simply say, Stay Tuned For More!

Oh and be sure to leave a review telling me what you think, I live on them ;P


	16. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 Aftermath and preparations

* * *

I don't know how long we sat there, huddled with each other, sat on the ground with sparking wires the only background noise. It felt like hours but eventually Steven had stopped crying and lifted his head.

"Are we still Crystal Gem's?" He asked, his voice steady despite the now drying tears on his face. It hurt still seeing the hurt written all over his face though.

Amethyst, Pearl and I looked at each other for a few seconds, not really knowing the answer ourselves. Still, Steven needed an answer.

"We're still protecting the Earth and the Human race, but uhhh. I don't know about rebelling against Diamond's any more." I stated slowly as I thought it out. "So I don't know. But try not to listen to Garnet about it, she doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Clearly." Pearl said with a roll of her eyes. She released her grip around us and sat down next to us, I could still see the frustration and anger in her eyes. "I hope Jasper can catch her, It's going to be difficult finding her otherwise with that Future Vision of hers."

"Yeah I don't see it happening." Amethyst stated with frustration, crossing her arms. "Garnet's been pretty hell bent on this since she first had that vision, she's probably long gone by now."

"Uuugh, today's been THE WORST." I stated, pinching the bridge of my nose as a headache began to form. I had a quick look around me at the devastation in the communications room, my eyes eventually settled on Pearl who gave me a softened smile to try and ease my frustration. I grew a light blush of pink on my face as I remembered our fusing. "Okay maybe not all of today has been bad."

"Garnet turned against us and the Diamonds are coming to Earth, what could possibly balance that out?" Amethyst replied, her face a twist of emotions.

"Well, Pearl and I fused." I stated, getting a shocked gasp from everyone in the room. My blush grew a bit and Pearl started blushing as well as we turned and smiled at each other. "That was pretty great."

"You did WHAT?!" I heard Peridot screech from her spot in the corner. I jumped a bit at her voice, I was a bit embarrassed that I forgot she was there. "M-My Diamond, surely this is some sort of joke?"

"Nope, Definitely fused." I replied, turning to Peridot so she had my full attention. "As for how 'unorthodox' it is... Well I plan on ruling differently than the other Diamond's Peridot, and that means in almost every way. I want to be loved, not feared."

"That's...Nice my Diamond, but-I still find the subject quite uncomfortable." Peridot said with a bit of a light green blush growing under her glasses.

"You don't have to like it Peridot, but I still expect you to respect my choices." I replied sternly.

"Of course My Diamond." Peridot replied with a nod, she looked around awkwardly at the mess of the room as the conversation ended. "I'm... I'm not going to be punished for this am I?"

I was going to reply with a solid YES considering that she said that the communicator wasn't functional, yet SOMEHOW Amethyst was able to turn it on with a simple punch. But I felt Steven tense up a bit in my lap and thought it over a bit before replying.

"Considering you told me that the communicator wasn't ready yet and it still ended up connecting us to the Diamonds? Yes, you will be punished." I stated. The reaction from Steven was to try and tell me to stop but I gave him a smile which stopped his words before he spoke them as I whispered for him to 'trust me'. "As punishment you will be working without your limb enhancers until I designate a time that you can."

"What?! But-But!" I gave her a stern stare and that was enough to make her give up arguing. "Uuugh, YES My Diamond..."

Peridot brought her arms limb enhancer up and hesitantly put in a few separate codes. With a hiss her limb enhancers opened up and released Peridot's legs, and as she stepped backwards out of them her arms soon followed and she laid them on the ground. Reluctantly she pulled her arms out of the devices and they along with the legs clamped shut, shrinking into a slightly more portable form.

"Awww, You're so cute." Steven said making Peridot blush a bit harder.

"I am NOT cute." Peridot stated with no small amount of annoyance in her voice. "Permission to keep my enhancers in my quarters My Diamond?"

"Granted, just remember to transfer the data from them onto one of the more secure terminals in the base." I replied with a nod and a smile, and surprisingly a blush. '_Oh no, she IS cute. Oh fish lips._'

With another nod of respect in my direction Peridot scooped up her limb enhancers and walked off into the hallway adjoining the communications room that led back into throne room.

"Okay, I gotta admit. I was kinda expecting you to tell her she wasn't aloud to do any more math or something." Amethyst said with a chuckle as Peridot left the room in a huff. "This is WAY better."

"I can't believe you were so open about our fusing." Pearl stated, although I could tell she wasn't disappointed. "Are you going to be that open with the Diamond's?"

I thought about it for a few seconds before saying "I might try and ease them onto the idea first, get them into the idea that I'm going to run this planet MY way, and not theirs."

"Yeah... so about that." Amethyst said, grabbing my attention. She seemed a bit conflicted as she spoke. She gave a quick glance to the hole in the wall before speaking again, looking me directly in the eyes as she did so. "All this talk about 'ruling' and that the Earth is 'your' planet. I know Garnet was well out of wack when she suggested poofing you but she had some good points, you're not going to try and start another Gem colony or try to take over the Earth or something right?"

"I...Well yes AND no." I replied a bit anxiously, rubbing the back of my head as I tried to send Amethyst a reassuring smile. That headache was coming back again. "With the other Diamonds on their way it would be a good idea to at least SAY that I'm in charge of Earth. But with that in mind I do want to start another colony here."

Amethyst's eyes narrowed a bit but I stopped her response by holding up a hand "It's not anything like you're thinking about or you've been told about. I want a colony here yes but I don't want any more kindergartens on Earth. Rather I want to make a place where any and all Gem's can come to relax, somewhere safe where they can be themselves. And I want to do it in a way that wont destroy Human society along the way, maybe even integrate them a little bit."

"Okay, that does make me feel a little better." Amethyst said with a nod of approval. "But that sounds like it's going to be a long time away, how long do you think it'll take for the Diamonds to get here?"

"Depends on whether or not they've upgraded their ships at all." I replied, thinking it over with what little memories the previous Pink had about her sister's spacecraft. "Could be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks from now. I'm guessing"

"That soon?" Amethyst said with eyes wide. "Wow, that's... almost no time to get ready."

"So we're not Crystal Gem's any more?" Steven interrupted, looking at us from my lap. None of us answered and he stood up between us and continued. "If we're not the Crystal Gem's, then who are we?"

An idea twinkled into existence from the back of my mind and I grinned "You're my court."

"Wha?" Amethyst and Steven both said with confused expressions after a few seconds of thinking about what I said.

"That- That's brilliant Pink!" Pearl exclaimed, her face beaming. "Oh and certainly an honour as well My Diamond. But this will keep us safe from the other Diamond's!"

"Wait hold up." Amethyst said, hands raised for emphasis. "What exactly is a 'court'? And why should we be in yours? It kinda sounds like a Diamond thing, I've been led to believe by Rose and everyone else that that's kinda bad."

"Allow me to explain." Pearl said in reply to Amethyst as she started using her Gem as a holographic projector.

The first image she brought up was of the symbol of the Diamond authority, before shifting focus to simply the Pink Diamond. Me I suppose.

"You know that all Gems fall under a certain Diamond depending on what planet they are made, but courts are made up of Gems specifically picked out by A Diamond." Pearl explained as the image shifted to a silhouette of me, followed by a the image of Pearl, Amethyst and Steven. "Generally member's of this court are picked out by a Diamond for their use to them. As such the other Diamond's all have a Pearl and several strong soldiers in their court. A sapphire or other such rare Gems usually also fill out a Diamond's court."

"So it's like a cool club that only certain people can join?" Steven asked, a bit of excitement for being accepted into this 'club'.

"You...can put it that way yes." Pearl responded, stopping the holographic imagery. She gave us a smile. "Technically a Diamond's court can be as large or as small as she wants, and once a gem is accepted into a Diamond's court it is expected that other Diamonds will leave the governing of those Gems entirely to them."

"There... have been exceptions in the past but it's some extra security for you guys." I said, giving them a grin. "Although you'll have to find somewhere to put a Pink Diamond on your outfits. But feel free to keep the star of the Crystal Gem's as well! I don't want to force you not to use it."

"I guess that's okay." Amethyst stated with a nod, looking down at the star cut outs on her knees. "Huh, maybe a Gem window?" She muttered to herself as she thought about where to put a Pink Diamond.

"Am I going to have to get some new clothes?" Steven asked, looking down at his shirt.

"I can sew you a Diamond into a few of your shirts Steven." Pearl replied with a motherly tone, there was still a tinge of excitement in her voice though. "Oh to be part of a court again! Ahhh memories..."

"Good ones I hope?" I asked with a smile, Pearl smiled back. "Anyway, we need to prepare for the Diamond's arrival. Clear out an area for their ships and such."

"It would be good if we were to continue working on the Drill as well, just in case." Pearl added, giving me a knowing nod. "It's good to have back up plans after all."

I gave a loving smile back along with a nod and turned to Amethyst who still appeared to be thinking over a new form.

"Amethyst, I know it's a bit soon but I'd like you to go and check out the temple for any recent signs of Garnet." I said, grabbing her attention as things grew serious for a second. "I'd also like to ask you two to... well move into the base I suppose."

"Wait, we can't be abandoning the temple?" Pearl asked, a little flustered. "We all have so many things stored away in our rooms!"

"What about all my junk?!" Amethyst as well, although a bit more confused than flustered by the tone of her voice.

"And that's not to mention that it has all we need to currently care for Steven-" I raised a hand and they stopped speaking, waiting desperately for an answer.

"No we're not abandoning the temple." I stated with a shake of my head. "I just want you guys to feel a bit more at home when you're here. I'll have Jasper and Peridot make a guest quarters and a wing for my court to stay in. I'll make sure there are appropriate facilities for human's as well, a kitchen and bathroom, you know house stuff."

"Cool, I get my own room with a door and everything?" Steven asked excitedly, stars in his eyes.

"Yep, I'll try to make it extra comfy for my Bro." I replied with a smile, a wink and some pointed fingers. "Good enough for a Diamond if I can get away with it."

"You're the best Sis!" He exclaimed in reply jumping forward and giving me a big hug.

"Woah, don't thank me yet." I replied with a slight chuckle and a smile as I returned the hug. "We've still got some work to do yet."

"Right, I'll go check for Garnet at home then." Amethyst said with a sad sigh as we all stood up and made our way back to the main hall of the base through the hole in the wall. She stopped a bit suddenly and turned to me with conflict in her eyes "Uhhh, what should I do if she's ACTUALLY there?"

"Try to convince her to come back to us." I said, my tone turning sad as I continued with a heavy sigh. "But if she's utterly convinced that getting rid of me is the only solution to what she sees happening...Look I don't want you to fight her but-"

"It's alright Pink, I get it." Amethyst stated, giving a solemn nod. Her eyes expressed the sadness within though. "I'll do what I have too to keep us safe."

With that she walked off, leaving Pearl, Steven and I in the hall. With an exhausted sigh I walked up the dais at the end of the room and sat down on my chair, it had only been a few minutes but I felt like I needed to sleep for a day. I probably could knowing me.

I gave a bit of a start but didn't attempt to throw him off when Steven climbed onto my lap and made himself comfortable, snuggling up a little bit before yawning. He mumbled something about having his own room before he fell right to sleep and I turned to Pearl who smiled warmly at the both of us, a certain pride in her gaze.

"He has had a rather large day." Pearl said, answering my question before I asked it. She came to stand next to the throne and summoned her weapon once again, standing proudly with a smile next to the both of us in a guard position next to the 'Throne'. "And it seems we'll have a few...well a few more ahead of us, don't we My Diamond?"

"We do My Pearl." I said back in reply with a small smile of my own, carefully shifting to get comfortable without waking Steven. "That we do."

* * *

*a few days later*

"Hey Pink." Steven asked, grabbing my attention as we sat down in the new kitchen area of the base.

The new wing had been finished in record time thanks to all of us coming together for it, it certainly helped that Peridot was able to re-program the robonoids for building purposes. Currently only Steven's room was complete, but we were making quick work of the other rooms since they had a simpler design. At Steven's insistence I'd made sure that there was a spot in his room for Lion to lay and laze about comfortably as well, although knowing the big pink house cat he'd probably just attempt to sleep on Steven's bed.

"Yes Steven, What is it?" I asked, putting down my cup of tea as I looked over the crystalline table at him as I stopped thinking about the bases new improvements.

"What are the other Diamonds like?" He asked curiously, his head a bit tilted as he tried to remember what we'd told him about them previously "So far I think I've heard only bad things."

I tensed a bit at the thought of them, as they might arrive any day now and we still weren't ready. Having decided that repairing the base and building the new additions was more important than proper landing pads for their ships. As I continued thinking about it I knew that he wasn't wrong either, we'd only told him about the 'bad things' the Diamonds had done. Although the good they were doing or have done could be arguable depending on your perspective.

"Well you've already seen a bit of Yellow." I started, a little unsure about how to explain them to him. "She's...well she's a little different from what I remember, a little more... open I suppose? But that could just be because she's happy that I'm alive."

Peridot walked by and gave a quick bow towards us before walking off with a tablet she'd made for herself with gem tech, going through a sliding door that led towards the new rooms. I waved with a smile before she left and continued as Steven sat enraptured by my descriptions "Generally she's very strict about things, and is overly critical of how I do things. I hope that parts changed but I don't think so. I think she does it so I can try and 'better' myself."

"But your already great!" Steven stated, taking a large sip of his own cup of tea I'd made for him. He seemed to enjoy the blueberry flavour.

"Thanks Bro." I said, smiling at him. "Anyway that's Yellow, she's still caring in her own way. As for Blue..."

I thought it over again in my head, recalling some fun memories the previous Pink had and smiling. "I think Blue is my favourite of my sister's." I admitted, smile still prevalent. "She was able to understand me a bit better than the others, was a bit more patient with me and was a better teacher than the others when it came to Diamond stuff. Although thinking back on it that was probably because she WAS so patient."

"Wow, she sounds really nice." Steven said with a smile.

"To me, and the other Diamonds." I stated in reply, getting a confused look. With a sigh I continued "She was patient with other Gems as well was but more strict with her punishments. I think Blue has probably shattered more Gems than Yellow has and that's saying something."

"Oh." Steven said, his eyes taking a thoughtful look as he went over this new information in his head. "So they're both bad then? Because they shatter Gem's?"

"Yes, although I still believe they can change." I replied with a strength in my voice I wasn't expecting. "I'll just have to show them that my way is better, for everyone."

"Good morning My Diamond, and to you too Steven." Pearl said cheerfully as she walked into the room, giving us both a curtsy.

"Hey Pearl!" "Morning Pearl." We both said, Steven with his regular excitability as I gave Pearl a warm smile and a nod.

"You'll be pleased to know that Jasper discovered another Gem site while exploring the wilderness around one of the warp pads near to the equator." Pearl stated, summoning a Gem pad made by Peridot as well before showing us a hologram of the dilapidated but still surprisingly intact buildings. "She says that she remembers fighting there at one point or another during the war and is searching the nearby area for caches of weapons and technology that were abandoned when the retreat was called."

"That's great Pearl." I said with a smile, thinking about how much fun Jasper must be having finding these old battle sites of hers. "The resources we should be able to pull from there will help speed things along a bit, we may even have the base and landing pad finished by the time Yellow and Blue show up."

"Ah yes! that reminds me." Pearl said with a start, quickly closing the hologram of the Gem ruins and replacing it with what seemed like a recorded message. "Once Peridot fixed the communicator she realised that there was a message waiting for us. I took the liberty of grabbing the message myself so you could hear it immediately."

Without further prompting she pressed a few buttons and the message started to play. We quickly found it was a video, as Blue's face flickered onto the screen.

"The recording has started My Diamond." Came the smooth voice of Blue's Pearl.

"Thank you Pearl." Blue said, her face looking down out of camera shot with a smile pointed towards her ever loyal servant. She turned her face back to the camera with a smile, the smile itself trembling as tears started to fall from Blue's eyes. "Oh Pink... You have no idea how-how HAPPY, I was when Yellow told me you were alive."

I teared up a bit myself in what seemed like practised response to Blue's tears but quickly wiped them away so I could see and hear the video properly, Memories of her in the previous Pink's life compelling me to watch.

"You'll be happy to know that I've preserved as much of your things as I could, protecting them from Yellow. She seemed to think that getting rid of your things would help her to get over your death." Blue teared up more but her smile only grew wider as she continued "But now you've come back to us! Oh I'm so very much looking forward to seeing you again. I'll do anything I can to help you save your Colony from Yellow's Cluster, I tried to warn her against it but you know how she can be."

I gave a slight chuckle as Blue's smile calmed itself a bit and her tears stopped falling. "I know that things were... rough between us the last time we spoke, Yellow and I were practically running your colony for you without giving you a say. But I promise that we'll try to listen this time, maybe things will be better now."

Genuine tears started collecting in my eyes as Blue said that, and a smile made it's way to my face. It was endearing to know that she cared enough to actually listen to me, and I found that I was now at least in some respect looking forward to when she arrived. The video continued as my tears continued to slowly fall.

"My Diamond the connection appears to be broken, shall I save the recording and send it once the line is back open?" We heard Blue Pearl say again out of frame in her regular even tone.

"Oh, of course it's broken." Blue said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes before looking down at her Pearl. "Yes, and please make sure it's sent promptly once the connection is fixed."

"Yes My Diamond." Her Pearl responded, the video blinking out after that.

"She doesn't seem like a Gem shatterer." Steven stated blatantly, giving Pearl a start. "But the message was for you I guess Sis, So I guess that makes sense."

She turned and looked at me for an explanation, to which I just smiled and wiped away my tears. "He wanted to know about the other Diamonds, I thought It was best to let him know about them. You know, just in case."

Pearl seemed a bit frustrated but sighed and nodded in agreement. "I suppose he was bound to find out one way or another."

Pearl continued tapping on her tablet and soon another message came up as well, this time all in Gem glyph. "Yellow has also since the connection was re-established given us their estimated time of arrival." I perked up at this and gestured for Pearl to continue as I sipped my tea, eager to finish it before it got too cold. "It appears we have only a few more days until their arrival."

"So soon?" I asked, a bit surprised before shaking my head. Of course they would be quicker than I thought, that was just Murphy's law at work. "With how quickly the base is being built do you think we'll be able to finish the landing pads in time?"

"No My Diamond." Pearl stated, a bit of worry on her face as well. "But at the very least the base itself should be finished." she added with a smile

"While that's a relief we should probably try and plan out how we're going to interact with the Diamonds once they get here." I stated, finishing my tea. "Everything right now hinges on how they'll react to all of us, and our story."

"Story?" Steven asked, a little confused.

"They're going to ask what happened, how I survived." I stated. Steven nodded his understanding and Pearl played with her Gem pad, ready to take some notes. "I think for now we'll stick with what we told Jasper and Peridot, at least until we have enough of a power base established and I've rebuilt enough of a relation with them that it won't matter when they learn the truth."

Pearl nodded and started writing while Steven gave me a thumbs up and continued with his tea. I sighed a bit and sat back on my chair as the noise of Peridot working on the rooms on the other side of the door continued.

This was going to be a stressful few days...weeks...Was I EVER going to get a break now?

* * *

A/N A bit of a shorter chapter this time, but never the less important.

So with the Diamonds on their way will our heroes be ready for their arrival in time? And what about Garnet? Well I supposed we'll have to find out in the next chapter. :)

As always if you liked what you saw leave a review and make sure to Stay Tuned for More!


	17. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 The Arrival and the Past

* * *

We'd done everything we could think of to prepare, and it still felt like we didn't have enough time. I took a deep inhale of breathe before releasing it shakily, trying to get the unease and anxiety out of me before the other Diamonds arrived. It wouldn't do to show any weakness in the coming moments.

"It's alright My Diamond, we'll be fine. You, will be fine." Pearl stated, resting a hand on my shoulder supportively while Steven stood to the other side of me fidgeting impatiently as we waited for the Diamonds ships to arrive.

"We'll keep you safe." Jasper added, trying to send a comforting smile my way as well.

"Thanks guys, that means a lot." I said back with a smile, although the smile itself was a bit reserved.

While a few days was a short amount for of time for humans I found myself loving the fact that Gems didn't actually need sleep, which meant we were able to get the Base repaired and the new wings finished before we moved out to the edge of the forest and started setting out what was in retrospect a HUGE landing pad. When Peridot told me that we'd needed more space and we just ended up cutting down more and MORE tree's?

'_I need to make sure to go plant another forest somewhere on the Earth._' I thought to myself as I looked around the now rocky outcropping cut out of the side of the forest.

We'd placed stones down as well just to make it a bit more civilised than just a big patch of dirt, and had plans at some point to convert it into a proper landing pad, with a road that led up streets to the base with houses and whatever else we were going to need for the first city of our colony.

The ground shook a bit as Peridot's tablet pinged and Pearl got an alert on hers, both Gems mostly ignored the notifications on their respective devices as the clouds above us parted and two huge hand shaped spacecraft slowly made their way to our landing pad.

"Alright. This is it." I said, mainly to myself before looking over the others. On the inside I was still a strange mixture of nervous and giddy. "Does everyone know what to do? And what NOT to do?"

"Yes My Diamond." "YEP!" "Memorised P." Came the chorus of answers.

I nodded and looked as the ships slowly landed before remembering something "Oh, and Jasper. You have permission to salute me again if you want to or if the other Diamonds order you to."

"Of course My Diamond." She replied, still giving me a nod of respect. I felt a little swell in my heart of pride when she smiled at me and I smiled back. She'd really taken to the freedom and liberty I'd given her, while she still had a way to go when it came to respecting the Earth and it's Humans I could tell she'd really grown.

With a mighty thunk the ships themselves landed in unison, palms faced to the sky as a single finger crept down onto the ground, creating a basic ramp. Beside me I could hear Steven gasping in excitement at seeing his first space ship, I placed a placating hand on his shoulder just in case he had any ideas about running off towards them. My hand brushed over one of the two embroidered pink diamonds Pearl had sown into half of Steven's shirts and I felt...

He looked up at me and I smiled down at him, giving his shoulder a small squeeze to try and show I knew his excitement as well. Steven's smile lost some of it's excitement but he gave me a quick hug before stepping back and giving a regular human salute, standing beside me like the perfect little soldier. Seems like he'd grown as well while I was busy with Pearl and Peridot doing some boring administration stuff, if not physically then a little mentally.

Finally a Blue and Yellow bubble ascended from the ships in front of us, and then revealed the Diamonds within.

"Pink!" Blue practically yelled as tears started to flow, leaving her Pearl in the dust as she quickly reached our position and scooped me up in her hands bringing me to her face and giving me the best hug she could manage. "Oh you may look a bit different but it really IS YOU!"

"It's good to see you too Sis." I managed to mumble out as my face was smooshed against hers relentlessly, it was at this point I was forced to remember Blue's power as I started tearing up against my will. I pushed back against her face though which surprised her into simply holding me in her hand and I smiled before asking "Would you mind easing up on the tears though? It's hard to see you through all the water works."

"Indeed." I heard from beside Blue as Yellow made her way next to us and Blue relaxed her powers so all of us would stop crying. Yellow examined our surroundings with no hidden amount of distaste "To think, you've been here the whole time. I'm almost insulted you didn't call for us straight away."

"What no hug?" I asked in reply, arms wide open while stood on Blue's hand. "You DID miss me didn't you?"

Yellow in her defence looked scandalised "Wha-OF COURSE I MISSED YOU!"

"Good enough for me, Blue. You thinking what I'm thinking?" I said looking at up at her.

She seemed a little lost at first before I could see the idea dawn on her and she actually gave a light little laugh "You've barely changed a bit, but yes. I believe I am."

With a few quick steps that Yellow hadn't expected Blue had enveloped Yellow in and hug and I stood on jumped over to her shoulder, trying to give Yellow the biggest hug I could manage as well. We must of made a funny sight, the three of us embraced like that but somehow I could tell that Yellow enjoyed it.

"All right, thank you for the affection Pink. And you as well Blue." Yellow said as we broke apart, trying to keep her composed image. "But I believe I came here for more than a simple reunion."

I nodded and jumped out of Blue's hand, landing in front of Steven and Pearl. With both Blue and Yellow now standing in front of us I gave Pearl a nod and she summoned her spear giving it a few flashy spins before clacking the stone below us and standing in a perfect guard position behind me.

In trained response the other Gems and Steven knelt and gave a Diamond salute before saying all at once "At your service My Diamond's."

Blue looked surprised to say the least as I stood, a leader in front of my followers behind me with pride, Yellow on the other hand smiled. The smile grew bigger and she gave a light chuckle before looking down at me endearingly.

"You've certainly improved on your welcomes, well done Pink." Yellow said as I gave another nod to Pearl and she tapped her spear twice, the order for everyone to stand at attention, which they did. Well Steven was a little sloppy as usual but none of us had the heart to tell him he was doing it wrong. "Your Gems appear quite disciplined, trying to impress me?" She added, a smile halfway to a smirk on her features.

"As always, although I think I might've gotten something right this time judging by that smile." I replied with a proper smirk of my own. "But you're right, we've got things to discuss."

With a gesture I caught the Diamonds attention and we made our way over to the base, at a rather slow pace for the Diamonds but a march for the rest of us. Pearl seemed proud to be at the head of the column next to me as Jasper led Steven and Amethyst behind us. While those two gave the occasional whispered joke and chuckled a bit I noticed that Jasper didn't reprimand them, nor bring attention to it. I felt proud once again for her at that, she must finally be developing a relationship with them.

"And here we are, home base." I stated as we stopped next to it, the Drill while not operational was still on display in the courtyard outside where we had been working on it.

"This is it?" Yellow asked, her tone of voice as if she'd tasted something sour.

"Yellow!" Blue said in a hushed tone with frustration before turning to the Gem's and I. "It's wonderful Pink, although it's... a little small. We were hoping to get a tour."

"I...I think that could still be arranged, although you'd either have to wait until I can get Peridot to build a camera or shrink yourselves down to fit." I suggested, mainly off the cuff.

"Shrink down?" Yellow asked offended. "Why would we ever do such a thing? We're DIAMONDS Pink."

"It's fine, we can wait." Blue retorted, putting a calming hand on Yellow's shoulder. "Is that what you intend on destroying the Cluster with?" She added, pointing a finger towards the drill.

"While it's an option no, I mainly intended it on simply being a means of accessing the Cluster." I replied with a glance towards the device. "I was actually hoping you two had an idea as to how to deal with the problem."

"Hmm, well I suppose we could...no no no..." Yellow said as she brought a hand to her chin and stroked it as she pondered. "Are you sure that we couldn't just create a giant hole and simply pull it out? It is only about half the size of the Earth's Moon, so chances are your planet will survive intact."

"Do me a favour and think about the life on the planet too." I asked, my arms crossed as I replied. "We need to make sure that whatever damage we make is fixable and doesn't effect the planets ecosystem to badly."

"Well, perhaps the idea of using the drill is still the best then." Yellow stated, with a look over to the device. "Although we'll need to make a new head for it, the current material you're using is fine for digging through Earth and stone. But it appears to be a drill from an injector yes?"

"I believe that is correct yes." I replied.

"Well an injectors drill is made to NOT penetrate or damage Gems." Yellow said, causing most of us to pause in response. "But I'm assuming you already knew that since you said you only planned on using it to GET to the Cluster."

"Uhh yep, Definitely knew that." I replied with a thumbs up, rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment. '_Well at least I know why the drill wasn't so effective in the show now._'

"Oh good, then you've already thought of an alternate material?" Yellow said with a bit of excitement. "Or perhaps you've already developed something that can break Gem's?"

"I'm sorry I-" *Ding* "I'm sorry I didn't think of it before, but it was uhh... Well it's complicated." I said as thoughts and worries filled my head. I'm pretty sure I started glowing a little Pink as the path ahead made itself clear to me.

"What's complicated?" Blue asked curiously. "And what has you so worried?"

"I uhhh, could-Could I get some alone time with my Gems for few minutes. We suddenly have something very important to discuss." I quickly explained, turning to the Gems and gesturing towards the base.

"Surely whatever is so important can be spoken of in our presence?" Yellow said more than asked. "We did travel quite a way to see you after all."

"As I said, REALLY complicated. It's some Crystal Gem stuff." I stated as I rushed the other Gems into the building.

"Crystal Gems?" I heard Blue ask in confusion. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"I believe that was the name the Rebels fought under while Rose Quartz was-" Yellow stopped her sentence there and we all froze in response as she levelled her gaze down at the Gems I was hurrying into the building. "Pink, this IS Your Pearl. Correct?"

"Uhhh yep, she's all mine." I said nervously as Yellow knelt down to examine the Gem's more closely.

"And yet she bears the star of the Crystal Gem's." Yellow stated, her eyes moving over the others. "In fact that overcooked Quartz and that Human bear the star as well. I'm not even going to BOTHER asking why you have a pet with you, you always did like organics..."

"And wearing it proudly as well, my big D." Amethyst replied unfalteringly, throwing a lazy Diamond salute as well. If it didn't complicate things I would've high fived her.

"I can explain." I said quickly, standing in front of Amethyst before giving her a look of disappointment.

"You believe you have an explanation for consorting with these Rebels?" Yellow asked, getting more frustrated by the second it seemed.

I met the glare she was sending my way with one of my own. "In fact I do." I fired back. "Although I'd rather discuss it later."

"I think both Blue and I would prefer if you shared your reasoning now." Yellow retorted, crossing her arms.

"Pink?" Blue simply asked inquisitively as a response, turning towards me.

I stared at them as they both stood there, waiting expectantly for an answer. It was a strangely familiar image in Pink's, and I suppose my memories. Yellow stood waiting for an answer that wouldn't please her and Blue had a hopeful look in her eyes but I could sense her disappointment. Something of the old Pink stirred in me and I could almost feel anger and frustration building, but that isn't who I am now.

I took a deep breath and remembered the plan before replying. "They saved me from you."

Given the looks of shock on their faces it wasn't the answer they were expecting. Yellow stumbled over her words until she righted herself and looked down at me in anger.

"And just HOW did these insignificant pebbles save YOU from US?!" Yellow bit out at me. "You were SHATTERED by their leader ROSE QUARTZ!" She added, her voice finally building up to a yell.

A quick glance over at Blue told me she was at least trying to comprehend the words I'd said instead of outright denying them. Never the less I brought my eyes back to Yellow and pushed on with the story.

"Rose Quartz wasn't at that battle, what everyone including you saw was a last ditch plan against a surprise attack." I explained, grabbing both of their attention now. I stopped and let the words sink in a bit, I was glad when Yellow hummed and leant back, staring me down but gesturing me to continue. "The palanquin was being attacked by rebels and they appeared to be winning, so with no other options I could think of at the time I ordered my Pearl to shape shift into the enemy leader Rose Quartz and uhh *Poof* Me. I'd prepared some convincing shards to make it seem like I'd been shattered and they were left behind while my Pearl escaped with my Gem safely in hand."

Yellow raised a hand and stopped me "While that was indeed a cunning plan, which we WILL talk about later." She said, her words gaining an edge. "I fail to see how that extends to these rebels saving your life."

"The Beam." Blue said slowly, as things slowly came together in her head. Even if it was only the series of events I wanted them to think happened. I saw Yellow's eyes widen a bit as she put some pieces together as well, but she still turned towards me.

"You never did say HOW you survived our blast..." She said, looking between the Crystal Gems and I curiously.

"The way My Pearl and the other Gems tell it we were caught on a battle field while I was still regenerating, and then the sky lit up." I said, both of the Diamond's rapt by the tale at this point. "My Pearl was saved by Rose Quartz's shield, as was another Gem who isn't here today. After that the war was over and there was no way to get home or contact, nor did I admittedly want to try after that."

I could feel tears start sliding down my face a few seconds before I was lifted off of the ground and brought into another crushing hug from Blue, I could hear the other Gems below me sobbing along with her as her power caused tears to flow freely from every Gem.

"Oh Star's Pink! I'm- We're SO SORRY!" Blue cried, holding me close. "If we'd had any clue that you were still alive we would have NEVER done this!"

"Blue I understand your pain, I do. But it's hard to hug you when I can't see you." Yellow said through some tears and a sob, her voice broke mid sentence as her very real sadness broke through her usual stoic facade for a moment.

Tears stopped flowing so readily between us as Yellow joined in on the hug. Feeling the genuine emotion from them almost flowing through me as we embraced each other made me hurt inside at knowing I couldn't tell them the truth. '_Not yet, They're not ready yet._' I thought to myself as the hug lingered.

"I appreciate the love you two, but I really do need to discuss some stuff with my Gems." I stated, breaking off the hug. I gracefully jumped off of Blue's hand and slowly floated to the ground landing next to Amethyst who gave me a smile and a thumbs up, she was obviously glad that the Diamond's bought it.

"Of course, if you think it will help us help you in removing or destroying the Cluster..." Yellow said, her tone a bit softer after hearing that tale. "Please, take all the time you need."

"Jasper, Peridot. Please stay with Yellow and Blue in the meantime, as I said. Crystal Gem stuff." I stated, garnering a disappointed look from Jasper but still getting a nod in reply.

"Yes My Diamond." "Of course My Diamond." They both replied, Both of them saluting me.

With that I walked into the base with Pearl, Amethyst and Steven, quickly shutting the door behind us with the button on the wall and I took a deep sigh once I knew we wouldn't be heard. I looked back to the confused faces of the Gems before me... I wasn't looking forward to this conversation. Even if I knew we were going to have it eventually I could only see trouble coming from it.

'_I__ just hope all that trouble is worth it, she's got to see that it will be what's best for the planet._' I thought to myself as Pearl spoke up.

"What's this about My Diamond? You seem a bit... well cautious." Pearl asked, her worry for me written plainly on her face as her brows furrowed in thought. "It's not Blue and Yellow is it? Are they bringing up some bad memories?"

"In a way." I replied, narrowing my eyes in thought before looking back up at her. "They were bound to make some memories resurface, good AND bad. But they made me remember something, or rather someone."

"You can't be thinking of Garnet she's halfway across the country by now P." Amethyst said more than asked, I shook my head in reply. "I don't know what she'd have to do with this anyway."

"It's not, and honestly...Uugh this has been a long time coming but I need to tell you guys about... about something else Rose did." I managed to let out, the words being harder to say than I planned. All three pairs of eyes went wide in response to this.

"NOT MORE SECRETS!" Steven let out with a cry. "I'm not sure how much more I can take!"

"This kind of had something to do with this particular Gem making something to kill me with, or her with. Rose." I replied hurriedly, trying to keep Steven calm.

"Why would any Gem that we know want to kill you or Rose?" Pearl asked in confusion, a hand on her hip and the other raised to her chin in thought. "Everyone loved Rose..."

"But they wouldn't of made it to hurt Rose would they?" Amethyst said grabbing Pearl's attention. "They would have been fighting against Pink Diamond and the other Gems."

"But the only Gem we had capable of creating something like that would... Would be..." Pearl looked at me with a mixture of hope and sadness in her eyes. She gave me a hard glare before blinking away what tears were forming in the corner of her vision and staring me down. "YOU are going to tell us EXACTLY what happened, without leaving out any details. My Diamond."

"If it's any consolation, she was trying to have me killed." Before she could reply I raised a hand and continued "And will probably attempt to shatter me as soon as she's freed as well."

I could see Pearl attempt to respond in defence to that but she gave up and sighed while nodding in agreement. "She really doesn't like you."

"Guys, WHO are we talking about?" Steven asked, almost pleading for the information.

"Yeah, I'm kinda feelin a little 'left out of the loop' here." Amethyst stated, looking a little peeved off.

I sighed again, glowing a little pink as the stress started to build up but took a deep breath and let the glow die down.

"Come on, this'll be better if we talk about this in the kitchen where we can sit down as equals." I stated, starting to walk off of the main hall towards the sleeping areas.

"Alright, but I'm making myself a sandwich while I'm there." Amethyst replied, still looking peeved but a little more calm now that food might be involved.

"Hey, can I have one too?" Steven asked, his stomach grumbling a bit. "I think we forget to do breakfast since your Sisters were showing up."

"I'll make you something Steven." Pearl replied with a tired smile, the tone of her voice still a little muted but her love for Steven still coming through.

* * *

A minute or two later we were sat around the kitchen table, Amethyst munching on some monstrosity of a sandwich with a raw egg in it while Steven had a simple PB and J. Pearl and I weren't eating as usual, and we tossed each other anxious looks across the table as I built up the courage to speak again.

Steven was mid bite of his sandwich when I finally took a deep sigh, grabbing the others attention as I did so. I looked into their waiting faces and almost didn't speak, but the fate of the Earth and possibly my friends replied on me telling them.

"Bismuth... She... she's alive, and in a bubble." I stated, Pearl's eyes widened. I noticed Amethyst with a lost look in her eyes but a big gulp brought me to look at Steven who asked the question before she could.

"Who's Bismuth?" His eyes held curiosity but a bit of worry as well, I imagine he might have had a bit of a scary picture of her in his head since the first words he'd heard about her was that She had wanted to kill the previous Pink.

"She was-IS a Crystal Gem." Pearl replied before I could find the appropriate words myself, she seemed conflicted as she spoke but pressed on anyway. "Bismuth made a lot, if not nearly all of the weapons and armour the Crystal Gems used in our war against home world. Rose... Rose told us she'd lost track of her during the battle for the Ziggurat, another lie I suspect." Pearl ended, giving me a hurt look. "I know you couldn't free her yourself because of... well you being you she'd immediately attack you. But I wish you'd have let Garnet and I know she was alive."

"I'm sorry." I replied, a little disappointed in myself for not dealing with this sooner. "I was to busy thinking about how I'd be affected if she were to come back, I didn't even think about how you guys would feel about it. I suppose I thought if you didn't know it couldn't hurt you, I'm sorry."

"Wait, so she already knows Pearl and Amethyst?" Steven asked curiously, looking between the two of them.

"Nah just Pearl, I emerged after the war was over." Amethyst said in reply relatively quickly.

"Oh." Was Steven's reply to that.

"But if she's in a bubble, where is the bubble?" Pearl asked quizzically. "And more to that if you thought she was so dangerous why bring her up now? Wait, what made you bubble her in the first place?!" Pearl almost yelled at me from across the table.

I took a deep sigh and sunk a bit down in my seat as I got ready to explain. "It's the same reason we need her now." Looking up I noticed I'd grabbed there attention and took the time I had to right myself in my seat and continue. "The reason Rose bubbled Bismuth was that She'd made a weapon. A weapon that could shatter Gems in an instant."

A collective gasp swept across the table and Pearl put a hand to her mouth in disbelief, but I continued before she could say anything. "She thought it could end the war, and so she showed it to Rose. Bismuth gave her a demonstration on some obsidian training dummies and explained how they might even be able to shatter the Diamonds with it. Obviously that worried Rose to no end. Not just because she WAS Pink Diamond, but because it was generally agreed upon that we should not shatter Gems. It would only make us as bad as them."

"Geez no wonder Rose bubbled her, I woulda done the same thing." Amethyst stated understandingly. But Pearl still seemed to be in disbelief.

"I-It's almost unthinkable! I can't...I mean I suppose she did have a bit of an edge to her but to..." Pearl made a defeated sigh as her thoughts caught up with her and she realised the truth. "But to win the war she would have done anything, and I bet she believed Rose would too."

I nodded in reply, a little sad as I finished the recollection "Rose tried to tell her that she was wrong, and couldn't use it. But Bismuth wouldn't listen, eventually the argument turned violent. After a quick fight Rose defeated Bismuth and bubbled her away."

"And the weapon she made?" Steven asked.

"I-Rose thought of destroying it, but saw use in it. As a last ditch effort in case the Diamonds never gave in, fled or couldn't be captured." I replied, getting a shocked look from everyone at the table. "So she put it back where Bismuth had placed it, locked away so only Bismuth could access it. And she hid Bismuth somewhere no one but her could get to. And so stopped anyone using it, even herself unless in great need."

"And we are in great need." Pearl stated, the pieces finally coming together in her head. "You want to use Bismuth's weapon on the Cluster."

"Yes, It's made for shattering Gems. I don't want to do it but destroying the Cluster is the only hope of saving Earth right now." I stated, not liking my own words my knowing their truth. "I'm more afraid of the end result of this technology. We NEED to make sure the other Diamond's don't know how to make it, so we'll need to destroy the drill after we're done as well."

"Yes, there's no telling what they would do with that weapon if they could make their own." Pearl replied, she took a deep breath though and looked at me after. "But we still need Bismuth for all of this to work, are you still willing to give her a chance?"

"Several, She's a Crystal Gem." I replied light heartedly, trying to lift the mood a little. "That means she's family...But maybe someone else can speak to her first?"

"We'll all speak to her at the same time." Pearl replied firmly, a frown on her face. "There's already been enough secrecy to last millennia between us. You said it yourself, she's family. And she deserves to know the truth."

I grunted a bit in frustration. I figured Pearl would be a bit more lenient after learning Bismuth wanted to KILL me but...I can't say no to her.

"Alright. As you say My Pearl, she deserves to know everything." I stated, feeling a bit anxious as the moment grew closer. With another shaky sigh I turned to Steven. "Steven, you're going to have to go and get her. She's bubbled in Lion's mane under the tree, you'll know her Gem when you see it. It's a rainbow innie."

"She-She wont hurt me will she?" Steven asked, a little fearful. I shook my head in response.

"No, she'll probably be a little confused at first but she'd never harm a Human." I replied, putting a calming hand on his shoulder. "Now please, go find her bubble and bring her back."

I took another heavy sigh as he nodded with purpose and disappeared down the hallway in search of Lion who was most likely napping in Steven's room. Pearl got off of her chair and came to stand next to me, and though I saw a very slight hesitation she still put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. I could almost feel the support flowing through her touch.

"Things will be fine, Amethyst and I will be here to protect you." She said with a smile, although it's strained nature told me how stressed she was feeling. I place my hand on the one she'd placed on my shoulder and squeezed back. I smile grew that little bit brighter.

"Yeah, Crystal Gem or not she'll have to get through us." Amethyst added, a confident grin smeared across her face. Along with a bit of egg from her sandwich.

"I just hope nothing bad happens." I said to the others as well as myself as we sat, waiting for Steven to return.

* * *

A/N DUND DUN DUN, ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!

Welp that's another chapter down as we get close to bringing another of my favourite characters into the limelight!

anyway that's another chapter down and I don't know how many more to go, Make sure to leave a review if you liked what you read! Hell even if you didn't! I live on reviews!

Stay Tuned for More!


	18. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 Big Bismuth

* * *

Time seemed to stretch on as we waited for Steven to return. Amethyst at some point had started tapping the table with one of her fingers, the beat was alright at least to my ears. Pearl on the other hand...

"Amethyst would you PLEASE cease that incessant tapping." Pearl said through gritted teeth. "The waiting itself is unbearable enough without you adding to it."

"Geez sorry for trying to keep myself from getting bored." Amethyst replied, an annoyed look on her face. "Why do we need this other Gem anyway? We know where the breaking point is right? We can just go take it and not bother with putting anyone in danger by bringing her back."

"We don't need just the breaking point, we need its specific design so we can enlarge it and stick it on the drill." I stated, hoping that would fill Amethyst's need for answers.

"I'm back!" Steven yelled running into the kitchen, almost bouncing on the spot in front of the table. "Everyone say hello tooooooo-"

"Hey, did you guys Bismuth-" Bismuth stopped in place and looked at me, taking a few seconds to take in my image. "I-It can't be possible right? You can't be...Rose?"

An awkward silence permeated the room as Bismuth looked over us and we looked back. Eventually I spoke up "Welcome back Bismuth...Uhhh I don't know how exactly Steven explained it to you... but that's kind of right and wrong, I have Rose-or Pink's Memories. But Steven over there has his mothers gem."

"But right now YOU are Pink Diamond?" Bismuth asked incredulously, I nodded slowly with a bit of cautiousness in my response. "Who also happens to be a Crystal Gem and somehow has the memories of the 'Original' Pink and Rose?"

"Yep...That's me." I replied nervously. I could still see the disbelief written on Bismuth's face. "Now you probably have some questions-"

"Questions?!" Bismuth yelled, giving into her frustration. "Before I can even THINK about coming up with any questions I'd have to believe this stone brained idea! You want Questions?! How 'bout this one?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY FRIENDS?!"

Everyone took a step back from the fury Bismuth was radiating as she took an aggressive step towards me, I made sure to stay seated and calm. Or at least appear so, on the inside I was getting rather nervous. Bismuth was one of the stronger Crystal Gem's after all.

"I...I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." I replied, a bit of my nervousness showing through. "I haven't done anything."

"Oh really?" Bismuth said back, squinting her eyes at me. "You expect me to believe that when Pearl, a Gem I know and love, have fought next to on the field of battle, is protecting the very Gem we were fighting to get rid of?"

"It's... complicated Bismuth." Pearl replied for me, finally speaking up. "Please just listen, the Earth depends on it."

"That much I believe." Bismuth stated in anger, folding her arms and looking in Steven's direction. "Only reason Rose would even think of bringin' me back would be if she needed me to fight more of her battles."

"Uhhh, hi. I'm Steven, I brought you here?" Steven spoke up after being singled out. "I'm not my mom."

"Steven, Rose. Whatever you call yourself these days." Bismuth replied scathingly. "I never thought you'd bring yourself this low, you're despicable."

"**ENOUGH**." I said loudly, glowing Pink for emphasis. Everyone else in the room tensed a bit but Bismuth for her part wasn't impressed. "If you want to be mad at someone be mad at me, leave Steven out of this. He's done nothing wrong."

"Heh, if you insist." Bismuth replied walking straight up to me and looking down at me right in the eyes, no one made to stop her. "Why bring me back?"

"We need the Breaking Point." I said unshaken, looking right back into her eyes. As soon as I mentioned the weapon she broke her gaze and backed up a few steps. "I'm sure that whatever Steven told you wasn't a lie, but I'll repeat it or make it a bit clearer. There's a huge Gem cluster in the Earth slowly maturing, once it does it will form and destroy the Earth. Think what you will about why I want to save the Earth, but I DO. And I will NOT let some half thought out CRACKED SCHEME from Yellow take away MY beautiful planet."

Bismuth took a bit of time to process my words before replying "Say I believe you. How will the breaking point help exactly?"

"We're building a drill to get to the Cluster itself." I replied, a bit calmer now that she seemed willing to listen. "I want you to build something similar in design to the Breaking Point on the head of the drill, so we can use it to destroy the Cluster."

"You want to give ME, free range to work on and practically improve upon a weapon which was designed to shatter you?" Bismuth asked, not really believing her ears. Or...lack of...

"Yes." I replied, a smirk emerging onto my face. "And if a few smaller prototypes were to be made for testing sake I'm sure no one would bat an eye if they were to... disappear into our custody. Surely they wouldn't be used at a later date to scare the other Diamonds off of Earth either."

At these words Pearl and Amethyst gave me pointed looks, but before they could say anything they were interrupted by chuckling. Chuckling which originated from Bismuth before becoming full blown laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha! Ohh man. You are every bit as conniving as Rose made you out to be, so tell me what's to stop me from using the breaking point at that point to scare YOU off of Earth too?" Bismuth boasted smugly, thinking she'd caught me in a trap.

"Because I'm sure by that time you'll realise a few things, mainly that I do love this world and wish to preserve it's natural Beauty." I stated in reply, giving her back a smile to match her own. "Also Steven WASN'T lying about me having Rose's memories, or the fact that she used to be Pink Diamond. Just... Don't mention it to Yellow or Blue, I still haven't worked out whether I want them to know yet."

"Oh come on this again?" Bismuth said, groaning a bit in frustration. "Look I- Pearl you would know better than me. She's full of cracks right?"

"Actually Bismuth...She's telling the truth." Pearl replied tiredly, clearly over the conversation. She continued on as Bismuth stuttered while trying to come up with a response. "She knows things only Rose would, and...I've known she was Pink since... well since the beginning. It's only recently that I've actually been able to say anything about it. Rose wanted it kept quiet during the war for...obvious reasons."

"I-...I." Bismuth stuttered, trying to find the right response to that. "I'm gonna need a moment."

At which point she calmly walked back down the hallway out of sight. All of us heard the slight *pishh* of a door opening and closing before hearing Bismuth's muted scream of anguish from behind a few walls, entering our ears, or lack of for some of us.

"Remind me to thank Peridot for making the walls mildly sound dampening." I said to Pearl vacantly, to which she simply nodded back.

"Yes My Diamond." She replied with a smile turning towards the kitchen. "Would you like some more tea?"

"You know me so well." I replied with a smile.

"Oh oh! And some of those butter cookies!" Amethyst added with a smile twice as wide. "Those things are goo~oood."

Pearl gave a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head but reached into one of the top shelves and grabbed down the biscuits as well while she prepared the tea.

It was in the middle of us each enjoying the various different aspects of tea and biscuits that Bismuth re-emerged and quietly sat down at the table, glaring at me.

She took a deep intake of air before exhaling and looking at me "Okay, so let me just get straight to Bismuth." She started giving all of us a pointed look. "I don't trust any of you. The only one I know here is Pearl, and she's changed since I knew her."

"Bismuth..." Pearl started with a sad look on her face, but Bismuth raised a hand.

"Apparently it's been a minute since I was bubbled, I can understand a few changes. But you." She said, pointing in my direction. "You've got some major explaining to do. First off, how does a Diamond end up moonlighting as a Rose Quartz and then start a rebellion?"

"Well, you've known me more as Rose. So you'll know my love for nature and Humans." I replied, giving a slight turn of my head as I thought about such. I turned back to look Bismuth in the eye as I continued. "When I first became 'Rose Quartz' it was so I could go see the Earth without the other Diamonds or my guards watching my every move, it was fun. And I discovered that we were slowly destroying the Earth so that we could make more gems."

Bismuth nodded along, though her frown didn't change much. I continued with the story regardless, setting down my tea cup as I did. "I pleaded with the other Diamonds for protection for the humans and to conserve the plant life of Earth, so they made the Zoo. After that they simply ignored all of my requests, so...I did what I thought was best at the time. I was going to try and drive all the Gems who didn't want to colonise the Earth off planet."

"The war?" Bismuth asked, I nodded in reply. "What about Gem freedom? Our right to do what WE want to do?"

"I still believe in that." I stated firmly. "But after what the other Diamonds did it became nearly impossible to achieve, at least I can't as Rose Quartz."

Bismuth nodded as she ran the thoughts through her head, her frown lessening a bit "But as Pink Diamond, you might be able to make some of the decisions necessary to start everything again."

"Yes." I replied, getting shocked gasps from those around me minus Bismuth.

"My-Pink...Do you REALLY intend on starting another war?" Pearl asked with a worried look on her face. "What about the Humans? What about the Diamonds?"

"Yeah this sounds pretty crazy, even for you." Amethyst added. Steven stayed silent but gave me a mildly worried look.

"Yes, I do plan to start the war again. But we have experience on our side this time. And we're certainly not going to start it like last time, spontaneously and unprepared." I said breathing a heavy sigh. "It's going to be different this time. If all my plans are successful, then we would have already established a dominance over the planet in alliance with the Humans by the time the Diamonds have any idea what's going on."

"But for all that to work, you need me and my breaking point." Bismuth interjected, and I nodded.

"Yes, for the Earth to survive long enough we will need you." I stated giving her a smile. "And if the embers of rebellion are ever to be reignited, I'll need the spark you have in you. I need your help to save the Earth Bismuth. Will you help me to free the Earth from under the noses of the Diamonds?"

Bismuth gave a cunning smile and gave a hearty chuckle.

"Wouldn't miss it for home world."

* * *

_2 Months Later_

***Clang*** *Clang* ***Cla-CLANG***

I smiled happily from the doorway of the forge watching Bismuth work. Since our initial conversation and a few follow ups just to assure her that I was genuine in my intentions we'd been on much better terms, certainly better than I'd thought would happen given how she'd initially felt about Rose being Pink in the show.

"Oh hey Pink!" She called with a big grin on her face as she reformed her hand from a hammer and stood up from her Anvil. "Come on in! The temperature's 'perfect'."

"If you insist." I replied with a light giggle, taking careful strides into the room. while i didn't sweat i could feel the tempreture rise dramatically as i entered the forge, courtesy of the molten rock and metal flowing through the walls of the new forge "So, what're you working on today?"

"Taking some inspiration from the humans." Bismuth replied, gesturing to the anvil and a long crossbow like device. "I still can't believe how varied their advancements are. If they'd ever all focus on one thing it would be scary to see what they'd come up with."

"You have missed quite a lot since the war, I'm glad to see you in a good mood though." I admitted, my smile turning a little more serious. "How's progress on our pet project? We're kind of running out of time."

"You'll be glad to hear this then." Bismuth replied with her signature smirk. "Go grab the rest of those upper crusts, the Gems and all the off colour immigrants, then everyone can meet out in the courtyard. Where IS Pearl by the way?"

"She's uhhh *AHEM* uhh resting for a few minutes." I replied as a light blush emerged on my face, it grew pinker when Bismuth's smile grew wider and she started laughing.

"Oooohh I seeee. Get together for some Bismuth huh?" She stated giving me a hearty slap on the shoulder. "Look I know she's your secret from the Diamonds but I'd like to meet Tourmaline at some point, Amethyst's said some flattering things."

"W-well I better go grab the Diamonds! Yep-Going now!" I stated, Pink face having fully initiated.

Pretty sure I left a pink cloud in my shape behind me as I ran from Bismuth's light hearted chuckles at my expense, on the bright side it didn't take long to find the Diamonds.

*THUMP*

"Ow-Oh, Pink!" Blue said with surprise in her voice, leaning down to pick me up. "What are you in such a rush for?"

"Oh Blue!" I stated, smile wide. "I think everything's finally ready!"

"Really?" She asked, my infectious smile infecting her quite well. "Well then, what should we do?"

"We need to gather everyone and have everyone assemble in the courtyard for presentation, that includes you and Yellow too." I said proudly, standing tall on Blue's huge hand. As I did I gave a look to the building around us and gave a light sigh, giving Blue a smile. "I still can't believe this was all done so soon. I mean it's no palace but it's still big enough for you and Yellow to get around, and that's saying something."

"You can thank your Bismuth again." Blue replied, setting me down on the floor of the hallway. "I honestly would never have imagined that such a rebellious Gem could be at all useful but... well I suppose it just proves that you know what you're doing with these off Gems."

"I do, and...Please do me a favour and try not to say that kind of demeaning stuff. At least not here on Earth." I stated, turning and walking along a now lit up yellow line on the floor with a small Diamond on it, another of Peridots contributions to the bases expansion. "I don't want to have to deal with another rebellion."

"If that's what you wish Pink." Blue replied, the smile on her face audible in her words "It IS your colony. And I am glad you're making use of...Gems that Home World has no use for, when White first heard of your ask she was quite stubborn that none of these gems should exist in the first place. I think we all had our doubts, but to see you so successful with...Well I'm proud of you Pink, we all are."

I smiled genuinely in reply, but felt guilt weigh down my heart for what I planned to do in the future. "Thanks Blue, that really means a lot."

"She's right you know." Came the commanding voice of Yellow from her open parlour door as we arrived, she had her arms crossed as she looked down at me but gave me a smile disguised as a smirk and leant down to ruffle my hair a bit. "We're all very proud about how well you've managed to...well manage this Colony from the ground up, especially from such humble beginnings. Oh it reminds me of the start of the Empire..."

"Story time can wait Yellow, we all have a presentation to make ourselves known at in the courtyard." I stated, gaining a slightly larger smile/smirk from Yellow in reply.

"Oh, that Bismuth of yours is finally done with her initial task?" Yellow asked rhetorically. "Normally I'd complain about wait times but she's performed quite admirably for a gem of such an average cut."

"I know." I replied simply with a smile. "Anyway, I've got to go find my Pearl so I can send out the announcement to the rest of the Colony."

"Make sure to be expedient about it. As much as I love watching you lead I still don't enjoy having my time wasted." Yellow stated stepping next to Blue.

"You can rely on me!" I replied with a salute, my hand sinking into the poof of Pink that is my hair.

Yellows face softened as she watched me. "I know."

Almost as soon as they'd turned around I'd dashed away again, down new hallways which were becoming more and more familiar as the days went by. I eventually came back to the old structure that had been headquarters before the Diamonds had asked us to build them rooms. I made my way back to my room and opened the doors and found Pearl sorting through clothes I knew I'd probably never wear.

She turned at my entry and her face turned a light shade of blue "Pink! I-er-I mean hello My Diamond." She managed to say as she dropped a pair of black and pink socks.

"Well hello to you too." I said back, a sly smile on my face. It only made hers turn a slightly deeper shade of bright blue. "Don't worry, I didn't come here just to tease you. Today's the day!"

"It's finished? Oh thank the stars!" Pearl stated excitedly, blush disappearing as her thoughts quickly shifted. "So what do we do now My Diamond?"

"Well My Pearl, I want you to send a message out to all the Crystal Gems and Colonists." I said a confident smile on my face. "Today we celebrate saving the planet. And after? Then the real work can begin."

Pearl smiled in reply. "I'll get right to it My Diamond, What's the message?"

"I need everyone to assemble in the Courtyard like previously discussed, each work group as a unit." I stated, still excited. "I know that some of the volunteers from the nearby Human towns are working with us as well, please let them know that they are free to join us today as long as they can follow along with everyone else."

"The other Diamonds might find that a little...unorthodox." Pearl stated, giving me a sly smile. "I'll make sure that they're visible."

"Perfect, that'll make convincing them that the Humans are 'useful to the colony' much easier." I said with a smile, looking forward to the advantage I'd have in arguments against the other Diamonds after this. "I'll meet you in the main hall when you're done."

"See you soon then Pink." Pearl replied with a smile as I walked out into the significantly smaller hallways of the main base.

On my way to the front entrance I noticed a few other off colour Gems receiving Pearl's message, turning to go to formation in the courtyard before seeing me. I simply smiled and waved at them as friendly as I could. A lot of them didn't know how to respond and simply blushed before running away, although a few waved back sheepishly before moving on.

Eventually I stood in front of the main entrance to the building, leading out into the newly built Courtyard of 'New Home-World' as I'd called it. The Diamonds were a bit iffy about the name at first but relented when I told them how childish it was to get hung up on how something was named. Honestly they were so easy to manipulate, it made me guilty about planning their eventual downfall. Well if they didn't eventually agree to rule peacefully, like I was establishing on Earth.

And what strides I'd already made on Earth.

I smiled as I thought about the bustling Gem colony that had developed around the arrival of the off colours from Homeworld and the few rebel gems that hadn't been shattered. A few of them still harboured a grudge from the war, and I told them that they had a right too. That'd caught them off guard, and with Bismuth to back me up a lot of them had agreed to my rule 'until I was unfit to'.

Still, that didn't downplay the achievement of gaining a small foothold on Earth proper. We'd even started getting attention from the Earth governments which was interesting. I hadn't sent any replies to messages from any of them as of yet, but once this whole cluster thing was done with? Well my hope was to add the Humans into the 'Colony' as official members, given governments I didn't think that negotiations were going to go perfectly but I had hope.

'_Hope is what nations are built on._' I thought to myself as Pearl came to stand next to me, giving me a nod and a smile. "*Long exhale of air* Welp, this is it! Gosh I'm so nervous."

"You'll be flawless My Diamond, you usually are." Pearl stated encouragingly.

"Thanks Pea-Hey!" I replied, realising what she said. "What do you mean usually?"

Pearl just gave a short chuckle in response. "You'll be fine Pink."

I gave another short exhale of air before nodding and trying to make myself appear a little more regal and professional, a harder thing to do than you'd think. Especially with hair that looks like cotton candy.

Steeling myself I walked forward and the doors in front of me opened, Jasper waiting just outside the door for me as planned.

"Your Gems await you my Diamond." Jasper stated with a bow. "Allow me to escort you to your position next to the other Diamonds, please."

"Of course Jasper, follow alongside me and guard me as only you can." I replied, giving her a salute of respect that the Crystal Gem's and I had developed for each other. A simple fist held over where the heart would be.

She returned it with a smile that threatened to separate the top and bottom of her head. She held her fist over the image of a star she'd placed on her chest after she'd officially joined the Crystal Gems a month ago, she wore it like a badge of honour. "At your side My Diamond."

The minute long walk to the Courtyard was filled with anticipation. I was flanked on one side by Pearl and the other by Jasper, honestly I'd never felt safer. I could see Blue and Yellow waiting in spots designated for them behind a platform in front of a crowd of Gems and very few Humans. On the platform was a large object covered in cloth, the drill everyone had been working on.

It had turned out to be several times larger than the one in the show or the one we'd prepared before we got Bismuth got involved, with a mildly different design of drill thanks to her contributions. It was something I was quite proud of, and it was a testament to what these 'off colour' and 'rebel' gems and humans could do. It was something I wanted in the other Diamonds minds, as well as the minds of the off colour home world Gems themselves, they were far too depreciating of themselves. And I hoped that this would help to alleviate that.

I reached the platform and walked purposefully up to the podium as Pearl and Jasper settled into position slightly behind me. Silence reigned as the off colours noticed me, there were no whispers but there was a few turned heads amongst the crowd as friends looked for each other. I recognised a small collection of gems close to the back of the crowd, only distinguishable by Fluorite, who seemed nervous but optimistic. She didn't know it yet but she was going to help me normalise fusion on Earth once things were right. But I was getting distracted.

"My Loyal Gems!" I started, hands outstretched.

There was a resounding *Thump* in the courtyard as all the Gems gathered gave a Crystal Gem salute and stood as straight to attention as they could.

"MY DIAMOND!" They all responded as one, the sound reverberating in the air.

My smile grew as they did so. "Truly I could never have asked for better Gems, each of you have put all you could into whatever tasks you chose. It was a hard process, finding something you all individually enjoyed and were good at, and it is still an ongoing process. But I want it known that I love and appreciate all of you!" I started, my hand falling over my heart. "I'm sure that some of you have heard rumors about the reason so many...different Gems were gathered to this planet, and I am now going to let you know."

Whispers broke out among the crowd quickly, but were also quickly silenced when Pearl summoned her spear and slammed the butt of it onto the platform. The sound broke through all the whispers and bought me another few seconds of silence and the attention of the crowd.

"As you may have heard or discovered, there is a... Gem mutation under the crust of the Planet." I explained, my hands gripping the podium. "Once we discovered it's existence we feared for the fate of Earth and began work immediately, but there is only so much work that a handful of Gems can do at once. But finally, after much anticipation and anxious waiting on my behalf, the solution to our problem has finally been finished!"

With a hearty yank Jasper pulled the cloth off of the Cluster Drill, fully finished and shining. It held enough room for a proper piloting crew as well as a drill truly made for boring through hard rock and gems.

"Behold! The salvation of Earth! Built by your own hands to prevent the dreaded fate of this beautiful planet!" I yelled excitedly with a gesture towards the device. Applause and cheers broke out among the crowd and my smile grew wide as I steadied myself on the podium. "This was only possible through the efforts of you, the Gems and people of the colony. So, to celebrate this momentous occasion, I hereby name this day in the calendar of the colony, Salvation day! To celebrate all the efforts of all those involved in the saving of our Earth! And to the saving of the Earth itself from it's ill fate at the hands of this Mutation! This Cluster!"

The cheers grew louder as Gems started raising their arms up in the air in celebration.

I once again spread my arms wide to the crowd as they revelled and caught their attention one last time. "This day is for all of you! Go and enjoy it! There is still much work to be done but for now, know that you. ALL of you, ARE THIS COLONY!"

"PINK! PINK! PINK! PINK! PINK! PINK!" "PINK! PINK! PINK! PINK! PINK! PINK!" The crowd screamed, exalting me.

I simply smiled and stepped back from the podium as the Gems that had assembled started to disperse with much more excitement and jubilation than before.

"Most impressive Pink." Yellow stated, keeping a sharp eye on the still assembled gems who were now talking amongst themselves. "While your methods are... unorthodox, they seem to work extremely well for these...'Different', Gems. How do you do it?"

"Tender love and care, you'd be surprised how useful being loved is as opposed to being feared." I replied as I looked back out over the crowd before looking back over the drill, it truly was some impressive hardware.

"I still believe you'll get a rude awakening one day, but so far I approve of your methods for achieving the adoration of your subjects." Yellow said in reply before her face scrunched up. "I still find it distasteful that you intend to 'integrate' those...organics into the colony."

"While not as strong as a Gem, they can be surprisingly resilient. Humans will surprise you." I replied in their defence.

Yellow simply hummed in reply before leaning down to look at the drill itself, I looked up at Blue and noticed her smiling out to the crowd occasionally, giving a wave.

"I have to admit this...drill of yours is quite impressive, perhaps you would share with us the design for future use?" Yellow asked, thoughts of how to implement such a thing probably running through her head.

"Sorry, but because this drill is designed specifically to obliterate gem matter..." I stated, gaining a mild look of shock from both Diamonds. "I decided it would be safer for all of us if it was destroyed after use, just in case the rebels ever got their hands on something like this and decided that they don't like us again."

"Hmmm wasteful, but a prudent decision regardless. Alright." Yellow relented standing tall once again. "Are you sure that a...what's the word you used? Celebration? What exactly did you announce at the end?" Yellow added, looking at the Gem's below revelling.

"It's technically called a holiday, it's a specific day on the calendar dedicated to celebrating one specific event or thing. I decided it would be good for morale to let the citizens of the colony have one for now." I replied, Yellow crossing her arms as I said so.

"A wonderful idea." Blue stated with a glance down to me. "However do you come up with such things Pink?"

"I actually learnt this one from observing humans, they celebrate lots of what seem like small insignificant events." I replied getting a slow nod of understanding from Blue. "As for why this specifically? It makes everyone here feel appreciated, and gives them a reason to enjoy staying at the colony besides that they've been sent here on a Diamonds orders."

"I think I understand." Blue replied another smile forming on her face, she turned it to look at me in a loving way. "You've certainly gained a lot of wisdom from your time here on Earth."

"Thanks Blue." I said with a genuine smile, It was nice to be appreciated.

"Well I don't understand it." Yellow said with a finality. "But as we've discussed, this is your colony. And you may manage or mismanage it as you wish."

"Gee, thanks Yellow." I said with a roll of my eyes before looking over to Pearl and Jasper, who still stood at perfect attention. "Anyway, I'm going to go join the celebrations. You two are free to join in as well, just try not to crush or obliterate anyone for anything menial."

"Wha-Why to even insist-" "We'll be fine Pink, go enjoy your 'Hol-ee-day'." Blue stated interrupting Yellow with a smile., a placating hand on her shoulder pad.

With that cue I gestured to Jasper and Pearl to follow me and they were quickly at my side once again. Jasper seemed a bit on edge with all the extra noise now, though Pearl could barely hold her excitement.

"That went perfectly My Diamond!" She exclaimed, hugging her spear as we walked. "Better than expected certainly. I had no idea you'd planned on making the event a holiday!"

"To be honest it was a spur of the moment thing." I replied as we descended the stairs of the platform and down onto the courtyard itself. Gems and Humans alike parted as we walked towards a pink gazebo sat on the grass of the park area surrounding the courtyard. "Judging by the reaction it was a popular idea."

"I understand needing a day of rest for the Humans, but we're Gems. We don't need rest." Jasper spoke up. "I don't understand your decision My Diamond, Don't think I ever will."

"It does give you some time to spar, or to read more of those Human books on war Peridot is translating for you." I replied slyly, getting a nod from Jasper.

"Okay, maybe this idea isn't too bad..." Jasper relented, thinking now on what she could do with the free time.

I sat down on one of the many comfortable seats in the gazebo and sighed contently, laying my hands in my lap and leaning back as I looked around.

Half built buildings sat between already made Gem structures in the shape of human houses, the design of the town originally coming from an architect we'd convinced to help us from a nearby human settlement. These buildings sat 'round the edges of the park itself, which had the courtyard in it's centre. It was a beautiful place which tried to capture the beauty of nature and did it quite well, with groups of trees giving a few groups of Gems and their human friends shade and a place to sit among their roots.

The sound of jovial laughter could be heard all 'round the park and it made my heart glad that I'd done so many Gems well. I smiled proudly at their achievement under my direction and looked over to where some gems had gone back to work at a few job sites. I smiled but decided against making them celebrate in my way, as for all I knew they just really liked building things.

"It's all so beautiful." Pearl stated, sitting not directly next to me on another seat in the gazebo. Jasper grunted and took the cue as well and leant back into one of the sturdier chairs meant for larger gems. "I'd of never imagined I'd ever get to see gems being able to pick what they want to do, let alone in a colony that works with and accepts Humans. It's all so wonderful."

"This is only the beginning." I stated, smile soft as I watched my subjects enjoy one another's company as the sound of construction begun again in the distance. "Soon enough, the whole planet will be like this. With Gem's and Humans working together for a better future for all. And then. Then we will be ready."

"I look forward to it my Diamond." Jasper stated with a fiendish grin.

"As do I Jasper. As do I."

* * *

A/N HOOOOOO BOI! HAS IT BEEN A MINUTE!

Sorry for the long wait between updates folks, not going to lie i lost a bit of the spark that originally got me to write this down. But I 'aint stopping until I'm finished!

This has to be probably one of the longest stories I've ever written, which I'm not surprised by. But i think I'd like to let you all know that it was you guys who've kept me going with this, all your love and interest of the story keeps this project alive and I'm proud to deliver it to you.

Anyway, as always make sure to leave a review if you've liked what you've read so far. and be sure to Stay Tuned For More!


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